Montreal university to create first Canadian research chair on homophobia

Physical attacks are extreme examples of how hatred can affect LGBT people. But what are the effects of verbal, psychological, indirect, or other less obvious forms of homophobia?

The full impact of homophobia on mental, physical, and sexual health will be studied by a university-based research chair devoted to the subject, which will be one of the first in North America.

Premier Jean Charest announced on Monday (November 21) that the program will be created at the Université du Québec à Montréal. The UQAM’s sexology department will examine how discrimination against queer people affects health as a means to develop social justice programs and policies.

The program will receive a grant of $475,000 for five years from the Quebec government and the position is a partnership with the Quebec Ministry of Justice. Twenty researchers from Quebec post-secondary institutions will contribute work to the project. Line Chamberland, a UQAM Sexology professor, will head the chair

The position is a part of the province’s five-year plan to invest $7.1 million in social programming to counteract homophobia.

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig. You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/StraightLGBT.

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