Francesco MacAllister-Caruso

Research Project

Democracy Beyond the Binary: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Political Representation of Two-Spirit, Trans, and Nonbinary People in Canada

Biography

As a PhD candidate in political science at Concordia University, Francesco studies the representation of Two-Spirit, trans and nonbinary people in Canadian electoral politics. Having started a master’s degree in 2021, Francesco’s accomplishments led them to get fast-tracked into the doctoral program in 2023. Since then, Francesco has won several awards, including the Vanier and Ricard Scholarships. 

Born to an anglophone family in Montreal and raised as a proud Franco-Ontarian, Francesco is a fierce defender of Canada’s official language minority communities. Francesco currently serves as Co-Chair of Capital Pride, leading programming for francophone 2S/LGBTQ+ people in Ottawa-Gatineau. They have also held numerous volunteer roles within other organizations, such as the Réseau international des diversités francophones, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Regroupement étudiant franco-ontarien, and the University of Ottawa Students’ Union, the latter of which they co-founded in 2018.  

Given the recent proliferation of anti-trans policies across the country, Francesco wishes to join the Trudeau Foundation’s scholarship program to share their expertise on issues impacting gender minorities, all while learning from other seasoned leaders and advocates in community and academia. In doing so, Francesco seeks to help strengthen Canadian democracy to make it more resilient against anti-trans disinformation.