Kenny and Macca are joined live on-air by Ruby Grant is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS). The $477,590 Australian Research Council-funded Out in Suburbia project, led by La Trobe University’s ARCSHS, investigates LGBTQ+ wellbeing in outer suburbs. It combats the lack of localized suburban support by uncovering how geography impacts mental health Current evidence reveals that LGBTQ+ people living in outer suburban areas experience higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal ideation than those in inner cities, alongside lower community connectedness. To bridge this gap, the Out in Suburbia team is co-designing tailored strategies with local councils and adapting the How2 LGBTQ-inclusive organisational change program for local governments. Ruby is a sociologist specialising in LGBTQ community health and wellbeing. Her research projects have explored lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women’s sexual health, LGBTQ mental health, trans affirming healthcare, bisexual health, and LGBTQ-inclusion in education and healthcare. Ruby is the leading scholar of Tasmanian LGBTQ community wellbeing, with her work providing key insights into the role of place in shaping LGBTQ identity, health, belonging and inclusion in regional and rural areas. Ruby draws on feminist and queer perspectives from sociology, social geography, and public health to develop new understandings of the needs and experiences of LGBTQ people, with a strong focus on partnering with Government and community organisations to promote diversity and inclusion. She is the author of Sexual Citizenship and Queer Post-feminism, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. At ARCSHS, Ruby leads QSOX: Queer Women’s Substance Use Over Time (LP210100122), a longitudinal qualitative project exploring LBQ women’s use of alcohol and nicotine. This project uses feminist and critical drugs scholarship to examine the roles of alcohol and nicotine in LBQ women’s lives and communities, offering a more nuanced perspective extending beyond minority stress explanations for higher rates of substance use among this population. As a longitudinal study, QSOX aims to examine factors influencing changes in substance use and help seeking behaviours among LBQ women across an 18 month period. In leading this project, Ruby draws on her extensive experience in engaging community organisations, co-ordinating a steering committee of partners including: Thorne Harbour Health, ACON, LGBTIQ Health Australia, Quit Victoria, and the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA). Sources: Out in Suburbia project page — La Trobe University / ARCSHS, accessed 10 July 2026 Major funding for outer suburban LGBTQ wellbeing — La Trobe University, 2025 Associations between residential location and LGBTQ experiences — Gender, Place & Culture, 2024 The post Sat, July 11th, 2026: Ruby Grant, Snr Research Fellow, ARCSHS, La Trobe Uni; ‘Out in Suburbia’. appeared first on Saturday Magazine.
