Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies professor Jen Marchbank’s study of support services for LGBTQ+ newcomers in Surrey has resulted in additional resources for the community.

The study, “Mapping Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Queer Migrant Needs in Surrey, BC” was commissioned by DIVERSEcity, a not for profit agency offering services and programs to the culturally diverse communities of the lower mainland. A team of graduate students from Marchbank’s class in Gender, Violence and Resistance – Simanpreet Badesha, Lia Bishop, Kate Ellison, Charis Lippett, and Masashi Yoda – conducted the research. Their report finds that LGBTQ+ newcomers settling in Surrey, including refugees, are often isolated from their ethnic groups and/or from mainstream LGBTQ+ groups.

As a result of the report, funds have been secured to establish Surrey’s first LGBTQ+ newcomer service, expected to open in the fall of 2017.

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