My name is A.J. Lowik (they/them/theirs). I was born in Brampton, Ontario on the land of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ , Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee. I am privileged to now live, work and love in Vancouver, British Columbia on the ancestral, traditional, unceded and stolen lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Watuth), Stó:lō, Shíshálh (Sechelt) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations.

I am a nonbinary trans person, a queer liberationist, an unapologetic feminist, a lover of cats, a practitioner of yoga, a knitter of objects, a beach lounger, a mountain hiker, an excellent cook and a green thumbed, plant lover. I also love genealogy, and have been researching my family’s history for about 15 years. You can check out my website dedicated to my family here.

Here’s a peak into what research I’m currently working on…

• I’m a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, conducting research on trans people’s experiences accessing - or trying to access - abortion care in Canada.

• With the Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, I’m working on research with trans youth, investigating their perceptions of pregnancy and pregnancy prevention.

• With REAFFIRM Collaborative, I’m working on the UnACoRN study, which aims to understand the range of settings where youth have their sexual and gender identities supported or threatened.

• I’m a member of the Birth Place Lab and Centre for Equity and Justice in Perinatal Services at UBC. I’m currently involved with the RESPCCT Study (Research Examining the Stories of Pregnancy and Childbearing in Canada Today), looking at the pregnancy and childbirth experiences of 2S/LGBTQ+ from across Canada.

• At the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Canada, I’m a co-investigator on the World Health Organization CoTSIS study, using cognitive interviews to assess the appropriateness of a sexual health survey for global use.

I am a member of the BC Period Poverty Task Force, a multi-sectorial task force, supported by the BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. We are working to define long-term goals for ending period poverty in British Columbia.