Most 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians fear their rights will roll back: report

More than 60 per cent of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada experienced a form of discrimination in the last year, according to a new poll.

More than 60 per cent of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada experienced a form of discrimination in the last year, which is deeply affecting their mental health, according to a new Leger poll.

Almost half of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents said they felt unsafe in public.

Other commonly reported experiences include verbal insults, rejection by family members and online harassment. More than 20 per cent were victims of physical assaults in relation to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The survey polled around 2,000 people in August 2024, half of whom are 2SLGBTQ+.

Facing this kind of discrimination is taking a toll on queer people’s well-being, leading to heightened levels of anxiety, depression, burnout and even suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

A majority of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents (86 per cent) said they experienced mental health challenges in the last year, compared to 64 per cent of their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts.

According to the poll, women, non-binary people, young adults, those with lower incomes, those with disabilities, trans people and people of colour are particularly vulnerable.

Robert Paul Juster, a professor in psychiatry and addiction at Université de Montréal, said it’s not a new phenomenon and is a result of homophobia and transphobia.

“It’s an important distinction, that it’s really about the environment and the internalization of stigma that leads to mental health problems,” he said.

‘Tense climate’

The data comes as no surprise to Interligne, a Quebec-based 24/7 helpline for 2SLGBTQ+ people affiliated with the poll. It has seen a 68 per cent increase in calls about violence between 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

“The data is very concerning,” said Interligne spokesperson Élo Gauthier Lamothe.

He said there’s an increase in hateful discourse, especially online, because “people feel like they can say anything and be hateful toward minorities and there are no consequences.”

“The climate is very tense,” he added.

The report highlighted a gap in the perception of the current political and social climate between 2SLGBTQ+ people and their heterosexual counterparts.

A majority of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents said they are worried that they will lose some of their rights (70 per cent) and just over half said they felt protected by laws and public institutions.

That trust dropped to around 30 per cent when it came to provincial governments, likely due to policy targeting trans people in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

About a quarter of non-2SLGBTQ+ said they felt concerned by the political climate around 2SLGBTQ+ rights.

• Read more: Intolerance of LGBTQ2S+ people on the rise in Quebec schools

Both Gauthier Lamothe and Juster pointed to the pandemic and a rise in right-wing politics coming from the U.S. as drivers for homophobia and transphobia in Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been rolling back protections for transgender people and even removed public health information related to the 2SLGBTQ+ community from government websites.

“It definitely feels like, in the last 15 years, this is the worst it’s been in a while,” said Juster. “I really think we need to unite as a community, first and foremost, so that we can fight these kinds of oppressive political agendas.”

Need for resources

The Leger report notes that 2SLGBTQ+ people tend to make better use of the resources available to them, but encounter more obstacles accessing them and are generally less satisfied with the support they receive, compared to non-2SLGBTQ+ people.

Juster said making people feel supported is necessary to preserve their well-being, making resources like Interligne essential.

The non-profit organization is urging politicians at all three levels of government to acknowledge this and act quickly to fund accessible and sustainable support services.

“We have to have services that are adapted to these communities because if they don’t feel like there’s someone out there that can help them and treat them with the respect they deserve, they’re not going to reach out for help,” said Gauthier Lamothe.

Juster stressed that the issue is not a political one, but one of public health.

“It’s not just a question of belief ... when people are growing up and living in environments where they’re facing hatred, that affects them.”

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Swidda Rassy