Emerging from a broader and ongoing national dialogue on issues related to HIV research 
with, by and for women, trans people and girls, the National Consensus Statement on Women, Trans People and Girls and HIV Research was developed with specific goals and objectives in mind. We believe it is important to highlight these objectives as a way of framing the document as they directly inform how the document was formulated, as well as what was included (and excluded) from the final version (click the image on this page for a PDF of the Statement).
The intended audience for this National Consensus Statement includes those who are involved in shaping or conducting research related to HIV in Canada, including researchers, policy-makers and research funders. It raises key research issues and needs as they relate to women’s, trans people’s and girls’ experiences of HIV in Canada, in a concise and accessible manner. It is our hope that this resource will be of use to service providers, activists, researchers and others, as they advocate for a stronger focus on HIV research with, by and for women, trans people, girls in Canada.
The needs of women, trans people and girls in Canada as they relate to HIV and related issues are extremely complex and diverse, and span across legal, cultural, social, political, economic and other spheres. The National Consensus Statement does not presume to provide a definitive and comprehensive picture of these issues, but rather it aims to raise key points and needs related to HIV research as determined through an extensive consultation process with varied stakeholders across Canada. For the sake of coherence, these points and needs have been classified under various types of research, as outlined in Section 3: Canadian research priorities.
However, it is important to stress that because the needs of women, trans people and
girls are so diverse and reach across various interconnecting spheres, future research is required that can capture and mitigate these complexities. Beyond addressing the needs of women, trans people and girls as they relate to clinical, social, epidemiological and public health-based research, this National Consensus Statement is also premised on a fundamental belief in the value and importance of mulch-disciplinary HIV and AIDS research that cuts across and recognizes these various spheres and how they impact the lived experiences of women, trans people and girls in Canada.
By Jacqueline Gahagan and the Gathering of Spirits Collective