Queer & Transgender Reproduction in the Age of ART

More and more people want to use assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). This study aims to examine the experiences, practices and possible improvements of preserving fertility and achieving reproduction of queer and transgender people in 6 EU-states (Austria, Estonia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK).  This enables the comparison between more liberal countries towards LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) rights and others that are restricting reproductive possibilities for queer and transgender people. A key aspect of this study is to document the experiences of queer and transgender people using ART.

This is important because there are very different kinds of guidelines and regulations regarding ART in the diverse European countries. The aim of this project is to develop an inclusive common European framework for ART based on the knowledge, experiences and ideals of queer and transgender communities in each of the 6 states.

The research focuses on self-identified queer (LGBTQ) and transgender people who did use ART or wish to use ART. 10 qualitative interviews (approx. 1 hour long) will be held in a public space in each involved EU-country as well as 2 focus groups (approx. 1- 2 hours long). An online survey (approx. 30 min) will also be posted on the main LGBTQ websites of each nation. Participants like you will be asked about their experiences with ART, if they have or wish to have their treatments in local clinics or in another country; what kind of treatments they chose or wish to have and why; why they could not use ARTs, or if they had to choose other options during the treatment; what their experiences were (positive: interactions with medical staff, support of and familiarity with queer and transgender patients and health concerns; or negative: problems with clinical documentation, impact of provider’s cisnormative (self-identification with the gender that corresponds to their biological sex, not transgender) and heterosexual assumptions, refusal of services; what could be improved to get a better access and treatment of ARTs.

This study has received funding from the European Commission under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship Program (EU’s Horizon 2020, Grant Agreement 749218). It was drafted by its principal investigator, Dr Doris Leibetseder, and is supervised by Professor Gabriele Griffin and co-supervised by Dr Ulrika Dahl at the Center for Gender Research, Uppsala University, Sweden. The research has been approved by the European Commission (Ref. Ares(2016)699023-15/12/2016) and the Uppsala Etikprövningsnämden (Nr. 2017/434).

Scientific Abstract

This project has received funding from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship Program under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 749218.