Vincent Mousseau, MSc
Tagline:PhD Candidate in Health @ Dalhousie | Abolitionist Scholar | Black Queer & Trans Health Advocate | Registered Social Worker (QC, ON, NS)
Montréal, QC, Canada
Bio
Vincent Mousseau (they/he) is a scholar, social worker, and community organizer working at the nexus of Black Studies, abolitionist praxis, and Black queer and trans survival. Informed by Afropessimism and transformative justice, their research explores how Black queer and trans communities build alternative infrastructures of care—emerging not from state systems, but in resistance to them.
Challenging the foundations of carceral social work and biomedical models of health, Vincent centres abolitionist care, mutual aid, and community-led healing. They theorize ballroom not just as culture, but as living praxis: a site where Black queer and trans people forge kinship, reimagine survival, and generate speculative forms of care and belonging.
Their academic and community work are deeply interwoven, guided by Black radical thought, relational abolitionism, and decolonial frameworks. Vincent draws from Black Studies, critical social theory, performance studies, and abolitionist anthropology to imagine worlds beyond reform, recognition, and the constraints of the present.
Acknowledgements
My work is inseparable from the lands I live and learn on, and from the communities resisting on them. I live and work on the unceded territory of Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang, colonially known as Montréal — a gathering place for many Indigenous Nations, including the Kanien’kehá:ka, who are recognized as traditional stewards of these lands.
As a PhD student at Dalhousie University and a registered social worker, I also acknowledge that the university operates within the unceded and ancestral territories of the Mi’kmaw, Wolastoqey, and Peskotomuhkati Peoples— sovereign Nations with ongoing responsibilities and rights. The Peace and Friendship Treaties are living agreements that call all of us, especially settlers, to honour our responsibilities through action, not just acknowledgment. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 affirms these rights, and it is our collective duty to uphold them.
I honour the histories and ongoing resistance of African Nova Scotian communities — a distinct people with roots in Mi’kma’ki stretching back over 400 years. Across more than 52 land-based settlements, these communities continue to resist anti-Blackness and fight for justice, dignity, and self-determination.
As a researcher, writer, and member of the kiki ballroom community, I recognize that my work exists within systems that have long marginalized Indigenous and Black life. I am committed to challenging those systems through an abolitionist, decolonial, and Black queer lens rooted in care, mutual aid, and resistance. Ballroom, for me, is not only cultural: it is a speculative site of care, political possibility, and survival.
Decolonization is not a metaphor. I affirm the necessity of returning land, resources, and power to Indigenous Peoples, and building a future grounded in accountability, relationality, and liberation. I stand in solidarity with Indigenous and Black communities across Turtle Island and beyond who continue to resist colonial violence and imagine freer worlds.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
from: 2022, until: presentField of study:HealthSchool:Dalhousie UniversityLocation:Kjipuktuk, Mi'kma'ki (Halifax, NS)
DescriptionResearch topic: The impacts of anti-Black homophobia and transphobia on health and social care access for Black gbtq+MSM in Canada
Master of Science
from: 2020, until: 2022Field of study:Social WorkSchool:Université de MontréalLocation:Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, QC)
DescriptionResearch topic: Black LGBTQ+ identity development in Québec
Dean’s Honour ListBachelor of Social Work
from: 2017, until: 2020Field of study:Social WorkSchool:McGill UniversityLocation:Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, QC)
DescriptionDean’s Honour List
Golden Key International Honour Society
Scholarships & Awards
Finalist, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship
date: 2024-03-25Issuer:Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
Description:The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship brings remarkable individuals from various disciplines and backgrounds into a life-changing community with a shared interest in making Canada and the world a better place.
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
date: 2022-09-01Issuer:Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Description:The Government of Canada launched the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to strengthen Canada’s ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health.
President's Award
date: 2022-09-01Issuer:Dalhousie University
Description:The President’s Awards are intended to recognize the high academic achievements of students who have successfully been awarded major scholarships from the Tri-agency doctoral competitions.
Master's Research Scholarship
date: 2021-09-01Issuer:Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture
Description:The objectives of this scholarship are to stimulate student interest in humanities and social sciences, arts and literature research, and to support research excellence by providing the best applicants with financial assistance to undertake or pursue a master’s research program in humanities and social sciences, arts and literature fields.
Laurent McCutcheon Excellence Scholarship
date: 2021-05-17Issuer:Fondation Émergence
Description:The Laurent McCutcheon scholarship is an excellence scholarship for master’s students whose research subject is the realities of people of sexual diversity and the plurality of gender identities and expressions (LGBTQ2+).
Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship
date: 2020-09-01Issuer:Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Description:he CGS M program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in an eligible master’s program in Canada. This support allows these scholars to fully concentrate on their studies in their chosen fields.
William and Nona Heaslip Scholarship
date: 2018-09-01Issuer:McGill University
Description:Several awards, valued at up to $15,000 per year and renewable for two years, are awarded annually to full-time undergraduate students enrolled in Year Two of any degree program. The award is based on a combination of academic achievement, financial need, and community service.
Publications
À l’intersection des expériences : mieux comprendre le développement identitaire des populations Noires LGBTQ+ du Québec
ThesisPublisher:Université de MontréalDate:2022Authors:Vincent MousseauAu-delà de la question culturelle: pour une intervention conscientisée aux réalités sociohistoriques des populations Noires de Montréal
Journal ArticlePublisher:InterventionDate:2022Authors:Charlène LusikilaVincent Mousseau
“I Have a Right to Be Happy, to Flourish, and to Assert My Own Identity”: Black LGBTQ+ Identity Development in Quebec
Conference PaperPublisher:5th International Sexuality and Social Work ConferenceDate:2023Authors:Vincent MousseauDescription:Glasgow, Scotland
« Un souper presque parfait » : Construisons la résilience Noire à travers la communauté.
Conference PaperPublisher:Le racisme en travail social, parlons-en ! Colloque sur les initiatives antiracistes au sein de la formation en travail social au QuébecDate:2022Authors:Vincent MousseauCaroline Keisha ForayCharlène LusikilaJessica GillesDescription:Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, QC)
Talks
Kiki as Resistance: Shaping Black Queer and Trans Identities
Date: Oct 2024
Event name: McGill Library .Location: Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, QC) .
Description:This talk explored the impact of ballroom culture on Black LGBTQ+ identity, weaving together storytelling and Africentric research principles. Through narratives drawn from community experiences, I aim to highlight how ballroom serves as both a space for self-discovery and resistance. Demonstrations of vogue and face, presented by Father Ali Old Navy, ground the discussion in the movement and creativity of the kiki scene, bringing its energy into the room. By blending research with lived experience, this talk captures the essence of ballroom as a site of identity formation and empowerment.
Bien intervenir auprès des communautés Noires LGBTQ+ du Québec
Date: Sep 2021
Event name: Chaire de recherche sur la diversité sexuelle et la pluralité des genres, UQAM .Location: Tiohtià:ke (Montréal, QC) .
Oser contester : Tournant vers nos racines radicales pour adresser l’inclusion raciale
Date: Nov 2020
Event name: Summit 2020: Resistance and Responsibility .Location: Unceded Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, BC) .
Projet Kominote : Bien intervenir auprès des hommes GBTQ+ Noirs de Montréal
Date: Nov 2020
Event name: CBRC Summit 2020 .Location: Unceded Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, BC) .
Description:Bilingual, diverse in origin, and culturally rich, Montréal’s Black queer and trans communities have played an active role in making our city the vibrant metropolis that it is today. Despite these massive contributions, though, there is still a systemic underrepresentation of Black folks who are accessing services at organizations like RÉZO. The Kominote project set out to understand this underrepresentation. This community-run initiative consulted a vast array of Black guys who are into guys and non-binary folks to see how we could better address their needs and make our services safer and more accessible to them. The results that stemmed from this community needs assessment encourage us to think critically about the role that 2SLGBTQ+ organizations play in maintaining white supremacy—often without even being aware of it—and allow us to reflect on how we can do better to ensure that all members of our communities feel represented by our service offerings. This presentation will provide an overview of our theoretical framework, methodology, as well as the results of the study and the concrete actions that we plan to take to implement the recommendations of this report.
Projects
Anxiety Management Group for 2SLGBTQ+ Youth
date: 2020Organization:Project 10
Projet Kominote
date: 2020Organization:RÉZO
Description:À la lumière du manque de ressources socialement adaptées et des besoins grandissant des hommes Noirs qui aiment les hommes, RÉZO est en train de créer ce nouveau programme qui vise à intervenir auprès des hommes Noirs.
Teaching Experience
Critical Clinical Practice Foundations for Social Work Intervention (SLWK 5003)
From: 2022, Until: 2022
Organization:Dalhousie UniversityField:Social Work
Description:Fall 2022
Co-TeachingSexualités, genres et travail social (SVS 6426)
From: 2022, Until: 2022
Organization:Université de MontréalField:Social Work
Description:Winter 2022
Teaching AssistantTravail social, sexe et genre (SVS 2110)
From: 2022, Until: 2022
Organization:Université de MontréalField:Social Work
Description:Winter 2022
Teaching Assistant
Conference Contributions
CBRC Summit 2022: Pushing Possibilities
From: 2022
Summit Planning Committee Member
CBRC Summit 2021: Disrupt and Reconstruct
From: 2021
Summit Planning Committee Member
Service Providers’ Summit on QTBIPOC Health and Well-Being
From: 2019
Lead Organizer
Journal Contributions
JMIR Nursing
From: 2024
To: 2024
Reviewer
Professional Experience
Registered Social Worker
from: 2021, until: presentOrganization:Independent PracticeLocation:Montréal, QC
Registered Social Worker
from: 2020, until: 2021Organization:Clinique medicale L'ActuelLocation:Montréal, QC
Project Officer, Kominote
from: 2020, until: 2020Organization:RÉZOLocation:Montréal, QC
Research Assistant, #GotBlood2Give
from: 2018, until: 2020Organization:McGill University, Ontario HIV Treatment NetworkLocation:Montréal, QC
Licenses
Social Work License (Telepractice)
Issue date: Jan 2022,
Expires date: Dec 2025,
Issued by: NSCSW .
Description:8184
Nova Scotia College of Social WorkersSocial Work License (Telepractice)
Issue date: Feb 2021,
Expires date: Jan 2026,
Issued by: OCSWSSW .
Description:837295
Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service WorkersSocial Work License
Issue date: May 2020,
Expires date: Mar 2026,
Issued by: OTSTCFQ .
Description:MOUV2005200TS
Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec