University of British Columbia
Department of Political Science
1866 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1
(604) 822-6079
Consent Form for Individual Interviews
Study title: Prefiguring Trans Futures: Trans Joy and Community Care as Radical Politics
Who is conducting this study?
Principal Investigator: Afsoun Afsahi, UBC Department of Political Science, (604) 822-6079
Co-investigators:
· Addye Susnick (research lead), Ph.D. Candidate, UBC Department of Political Science, (236) 979-9617
· Antje Ellermann, UBC Department of Political Science, (604) 822-6079
This research is being conducted as part of Addye Susnick’s doctoral degree requirements. Research will form part of their Ph.D. thesis, which will be available to the public.
Study Funding
This study is being funded by the University of British Columbia’s Public Scholars Initiative.
Study Aims and Criteria
Through this study, we hope to better understand how trans and nonbinary people in BC understand and experience trans community. We are particularly interested in better understanding experiences of (a) community-based care or support among trans people and (b) trans joy. The research project further aims to explore how trans community care and joy might be tools for radical or liberatory trans politics. We are inviting participants with lived experiences of these areas to help us understand how and when care happens in practice, the varied ways trans people understand and relate to trans joy, and what trans joy and care might look like in the future. Specifically, we are looking for people aged 19 years or older who identify as trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, or gender non-conforming. For the purposes of this research, “trans” refers to any person whose gender identity does not align with or is not fully captured by the gender they were assigned at birth.
What You Will Be Asked to Do in the Research
If you are interested in participating in this study, you will first be asked to complete a short survey to confirm eligibility (this will take less than 5 minutes). See “Confidentiality and Data Protection” below for more details.
Eligible respondents will be invited to complete a 45–90-minute interview with Addye Susnick, either in person or on Zoom. All in-person interviews will take place in public settings in Vancouver (either in select buildings at UBC, Spartacus Books in East Vancouver, or the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library). You are welcome to bring a support person (in-person and online).
Afterwards, you will be sent a transcript of the interview to review, at which point you may redact, change, or expand on your responses. This step is optional and will take 0-30 minutes, based on your time and interest. Finally, if you indicate that you would like to receive study results on your consent form, you will receive a draft of dissertation chapters drawing on interview research for optional review prior to submission, which will take 0-30 minutes.
Where Results Will Be Used
The findings of this research will be used in Addye Susnick’s doctoral thesis. Findings may also be used in published journal articles and/or book chapters, as well as unpublished conference papers. Any published work and the doctoral thesis will be available to the public.
Risks of Participation and Accommodations
The risk of harm to you from participating in this research is extremely low. Some questions may be sensitive, and you may choose to bring up difficult or uncomfortable subjects during the interview. The researcher will have information on local, trans-affirming mental health resources available for you at the conclusion of the interview.
The researcher will wear a mask for all in-person interviews being conducted indoors, and all indoor locations offered (select buildings at UBC, Spartacus Books, and the Vancouver Public Library downtown branch) are well-ventilated and accessible. The researcher has also chosen spaces with experience hosting trans and gender non-conforming guests. Please let the researcher know if you require any further adjustments to allow your full participation and comfort.
Benefits of Participation and Payment
We expect participants to receive limited or no direct benefit from this research. However, the research may have some community benefit by offering insight into existing and potential future practices of care. Participants will also be compensated for their time in the form of a $40 gift card.
Confidentiality, Data Collection, and Data Protection
Your confidentiality will be maintained throughout the research. Your name will not appear in any work resulting from the research.
If you choose to be interviewed over Zoom, you are welcome to use an alternate name in your log-in ID and/or display name. You may also turn your video off at any point during the interview, and you may mute your microphone whenever you are not speaking.
The eligibility survey you will be asked to complete is powered by Qualtrics, which uses secure cloud storage with servers in Canada. Survey responses will be deleted immediately following the interview.
Interviews will be audio recorded with your consent. Interview recordings and notes will be labelled only by code, and all personal information and code keys will be stored separately. Audio recordings, interview notes, and follow-up correspondence will be encrypted and stored in two places: a secure cloud storage provider with servers in Canada, and a hard copy kept in locked storage accessible only to the researcher. Interview recordings will be deleted upon completion of the research.
Voluntary Participation and Withdrawing from the Study
Participation in this research is completely voluntary and you may decline to answer any question or choose to stop participating at any time and for any reason. You can also stop participating in the research at any time, for any reason, until research findings are published. If you decide to withdraw from the study at any point during or after the interview, you will still be eligible for the promised honorarium for participation. Your decision not to answer particular questions will not impact study eligibility, and neither refusing to answer nor withdrawing from the study will affect your relationship with the researchers, the University of British Columbia, or any other group associated with this project, now or in the future. If you withdraw from the study, all associated data will be immediately destroyed and any use thereof in unpublished work will be redacted.
Questions and Contact Information About the Study
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the research or what participation entails, please contact either the student researcher, Addye Susnick, or the supervising investigator, Afsoun Afsahi. Their contact information is available on the first page of this form.
Contact Information for Complaints or Concerns About the Study
If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in the UBC Office of Research Ethics at 604-822-8598 or if long distance e-mail RSIL@ors.ubc.ca or call toll free 1-877-822-8598.
Consent and Signature
Taking part in this study is entirely voluntarily, and you have the right to refuse to participate in or to withdraw from this study at any time without giving a reason, and without any negative repercussions. Your signature indicates that you have read and understood the above description of the research, including any risks and benefits of participation, and wish to participate.
Ethics ID# H23-02572
University of British Columbia
Department of Political Science
1866 Main Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1
(604) 822-6079
Consent Form for Groups
Study title: Prefiguring Trans Futures: Trans Joy and Community Care as Radical Politics
Who is conducting this study?
Principal Investigator: Afsoun Afsahi, UBC Department of Political Science, (604) 822-6079
Co-investigators:
· Addye Susnick (research lead), Ph.D. Candidate, UBC Department of Political Science, (236) 979-9617
· Antje Ellermann, UBC Department of Political Science, (604) 822-6079
This research is being conducted as part of Addye Susnick’s doctoral degree requirements. Research will form part of their Ph.D. thesis, which will be available to the public.
Study Funding
This study is being funded by the University of British Columbia’s Public Scholars Initiative.
Study Aims and Criteria
Through this study, we hope to better understand how trans and nonbinary people in BC understand and experience trans community (note: for the purposes of this research, “trans” refers to any person whose gender identity does not align with or is not fully captured by the gender they were assigned at birth). We are particularly interested in better understanding experiences of (a) community-based care or support among trans people and (b) trans joy. The research project further aims to explore how trans community care and joy might be tools for radical or liberatory trans politics. Addye is interested in looking at actual patterns of care in this group to better understand how and when care happens in practice, the kinds of challenges trans people in BC face, and what trans joy and care might look like in the future.
What You Will Be Asked to Do in the Research
Research involving this group is observational and aims to understand trends and patterns in trans care and joy. You may be contacted by the lead researcher, Addye Susnick, for permission to use quotes or stories from posts. Besides that, you will not be asked to do anything for this project. No specific statements or post text will be included in any work produced from this research without explicit, ongoing consent. Information or quotes shared with consent will remain anonymous. No individual names or personal information will be included in any research notes or work produced from this research.
Opting Out
Participation in this research is completely voluntary. You may decline to participate or withdraw from participation at any time and for any reason without any negative effects whatsoever. Your decision to stop participation will not affect your relationship with the researchers, the group, or any other group associated with this project. If you do not wish to participate, the researcher will avoid reading, listening to, or otherwise engaging with any posts, statements, comments, and so on in relation to the research. To opt out, please email or message Addye Susnick at addyesusnick@alumni.ubc.ca.
If you are not comfortable with the researcher’s presence in this setting regardless of your individual participation, please express your concerns by informing the researcher, supervising investigator, or group moderators.
Where Results Will Be Used
The findings of this research will be used in Addye Susnick’s doctoral thesis. Findings may also be used in published journal articles and/or book chapters, as well as unpublished conference papers. Any published work and the doctoral thesis will be available to the public.
Risks of Participation
There are no anticipated risks or discomfort from participation in this research.
Benefits of Participation:
Participation in this research will not be remunerated, nor is it expected to bring direct benefits, tangible or otherwise. The resulting research project may indirectly benefit the group by offering insight into existing and potential future care practices within it.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
Every effort will be made not to reveal personally identifiable information in work resulting from this research. No individually-identifying information from this group will be included in notes or published work. Any direct quotes used with consent will be stored separately from identifying information. In any writing resulting from this research, group actions or behavior will be anonymized and, wherever possible, in combination with other group members (i.e., in the aggregate). The researcher’s notes pertaining to the group will be encrypted and securely stored in two places: online in a secure cloud-based platform with servers in Canada, and in a locked cabinet to which only the researcher will have access. All notes containing personal information or copies of posts will be destroyed after completion of the research.
Questions and Contact Information About the Study
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the research or what participation entails, please contact either the student researcher, Addye Susnick, or the supervising investigator, Afsoun Afsahi. Their contact information is available on the first page of this form.
Contact Information for Complaints or Concerns About the Study
If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in the UBC Office of Research Ethics at 604-822-8598 or if long distance e-mail RSIL@ors.ubc.ca or call toll free 1-877-822-8598.
Consent Statement:
By reading this document and by no expression of objection, I voluntarily agree for the researcher to conduct observations and casual interactions in this group. I recognize that I have the right to withdraw this consent at any time, without giving a reason, without any negative repercussions.
Ethics ID# H23-02572