Bianca Beyer Award

I became a nurse because I wanted to make a difference in the world. During my undergraduate nursing education, heteronormative course content rendered my Lesbian identity invisible. The clinical practice setting revealed to me how gaps in training further health disparities within the Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities. I was fortunate to be able to return to nursing school as a graduate student and am proposing doctoral research that aims to understand the conditions under which health services are delivered to 2SLGBTQ populations within the context of a heteropatriarchal health system. Receiving the Canadian Nurses Foundation Bianca Beyer Award is a great honor. It brings my work into a national context and legitimates my passion for bringing about changes that I see as necessary to make health equity an achievable goal for 2SLGBTQ populations. I am so thankful for CNF, my other funders, the invaluable support I receive from my supervisors and other committee members, and the love I share with my wife and son. These gifts fill me with joy and inspire me in ways that continue to amaze me.