What we do

Our key research areas

LGBTQIA+ lives and communities

This research area focuses on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other sexual and gender subjectivities.

Our researchers explore the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ people – homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and more - as well as LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences of more general challenges such as mental health and body image issues. We aim to tackle these challenges through the power of collaborative and partnership research.

Finally, we also sponsor and host research events focused on LGBTQIA+ communities including the global Lesbian Lives conference – the world’s largest and most established academic conference focused on Lesbian Studies.

Notable projects in this area include:

• The GambLGBTQ+ project, which works with GambleAware, YouGov, and LGBT Switchboard to explore the prevalence and impact of gambling harms amongst LGBTQ+ communities. 
• The Bearspace project, which investigated the ‘Bear’ subculture of big and hairy GBQ men in the UK.

Health, care and wellbeing

This research area focuses on the promotion of health and wellbeing and the prevention of illness within a context where health and social inequalities shape experiences of health and care for individuals, families and communities.

Our research explores what makes life liveable, in sickness and in health (mental and physical). It places a spotlight on policy, practices and service delivery and re-design to develop understandings of the context and experiences of citizens and health and care service-users.

Notable projects in this area include:

• The Health Counts 2024 health and wellbeing survey of Brighton and Hove which will inform decisions about future health and wellbeing services that may be required to meet residents’ needs.
• Expert consultancy to the Council of Europe on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health and Access to Healthcare for LGBTI People in Europe;
• Men’s unwanted sexual experiences (MUSE), which explored the barriers that men have faced when trying to seek support for their unwanted sexual experiences and art workshops
• Creativity, Community and Resilience – a collaboration between the universities of Southampton, Brighton, and Glasgow, and community partners in the LGBTQ+ youth sector, which investigated how community belonging can improve liveability, build collective resilience, and support trans and gender diverse (TGD) young people’s wellbeing.
• Collaboration on migration and loneliness with MindOut: Pathways between LGBTQ migration, social isolation and distress.
• The centre's European research on LGBTI inequalities continues to have impact around the world, as for example in the Health4LGBTI project.

The Everywhere Project was a two-year pilot project co-funded by the European Commission’s Public Health Programme and led by Dr Nigel Sherriff from the Centre for Health Research at the University of Brighton.

Gendered inequalities

This research area focuses on exploring the systemic and structural forces that maintain unequal gendered power dynamics within society and how this is experienced.

Our research draws on feminism, work on men/masculinities, and trans and non-binary scholarship. It examines gendered marginalisation and experiences in sport and physical exercise, body image, martial arts, photography, alcohol use, gender-based violence, healthcare and more.

Our work also emphasises the role of intersectionality in understanding how gender interacts with ‘race’, ethnicity, social class, age, and disability in uniquely shaping people’s lives. Through our research, we aim to create space and give voice to underrepresented populations, tackle existing barriers that reinforce exclusion and discrimination, and challenge dominant discourses and epistemologies. 

Notable projects in this area include: 

• Sexual and Gender Diversity in the Psy Disciplines – a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) that aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange amongst LGBTIQ+ mental health professionals across Chile and the UK.

• A WHO-funded project Health systems analysis and evaluations of the barriers to availability, utilisation, and readiness of selected sexual and reproductive health services in COVID-19 affected areas. This research examined the impact of the pandemic on access to contraception, abortion care, and support for women experiencing gender-based violence.

Our research publications, outputs and activities

Details of research publications and other outputs fostered by the centre and achieved by its members, along with funded projects delivered by the centre, can be accessed on the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender's database of research.

• Visit the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender overview page on our research database
• Visit the record of our research publications and other outputs in sexuality and gender research
• Visit the record of our funded projects in gender and sexualities research.