Happy Pride Month

June is Pride Month in Canada. And it is not just an excuse for a party, but an opportunity for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to be visible, and to celebrate our wins over the years, from greater social acceptance to same-sex-marriage.

We also need to make sure that attitudes to 2SLGBTQIA+ people do not go backwards. There has already been pushback in Canada against kids in schools being allowed to use their chosen names and pronouns; attempts to introduce regressive legislation; pushback against trans people in sports; attempts to stop schools from flying Pride flags; and more. The fact that the shooter at Tumbler Ridge in BC was trans has been used as anti-trans propaganda, despite the fact that 97.5% of shooters are cisgender men.

Demographics

According to StatsCan, 2SLGBTQIA+ people are 4.4% of the total population of Canada. The highest percentage of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in any age group is 10.5% of 15-24 year olds.

2SLGBTQIA+ people have more university degrees than the general population, but are earning less than the general population, which suggests that discrimination affects our earnings.

Reported hate crimes where the sexual orientation of the victim was the motive rose from 258 in 2020 to 889 in 2023, but then fell to 658 in 2024. Reported hate crimes where the gender of the victim was the motive rose from 49 in 2020 to 139 in 2024.

65% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people reported that they had experienced workplace harassment.

The University of Toronto Map and Data Library has compiled a comprehensive list of data sources about 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

2SLGBTQIA+ history

The history of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada is quite distinct from the USA or the UK.

• Kitchener Public Library has documented 2SLGBTQIA+ history in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.
• A Brief Look at Toronto’s Queer History – Nellie’s
• Queer Events has a timeline of 2SLGBTQIA+ history in Canada.

Related posts

• 2SLGBTQIA+ owned businesses in Ontario
• Pride Month is Here!
• History Months