Despite increased visibility of LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare disparities persist, especially for Black, Brown, transgender, and nonbinary individuals. These communities face institutional discrimination, implicit bias, and a lack of culturally competent care, often resulting in fragmented or unsafe healthcare experiences.

This session centers on using research, community engagement, and social innovation to address these systemic inequities. Drawing from the qualitative study Exploring Interventions to Improve Healthcare Access for LGBTQ+ Individuals, it highlights trauma-informed strategies from organizations like the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Their peer-led, culturally responsive models and harm reduction frameworks offer promising approaches for transforming service delivery and improving outcomes.

A focal point of the session is an inclusive, community-driven event that unites healthcare, mental wellness, housing, and advocacy resources in a celebratory space. This fair serves as both an intervention and a replicable model for grassroots innovation, rooted in trust, intersectional inclusion, and collaboration.

This session is tailored for healthcare providers, social workers, researchers, DEI consultants, and others committed to health equity. It emphasizes community resilience and co-creation, advocating for a justice-centered healthcare model where access is a universal right, not a selective privilege.