Vlent victimizatn of lbians, gays and bisexuals Canada, 2014

Contents:

• DISCRIMATN AGAST GAYS AND LBIANS
• RIGHTS OF LGBTI PERSONS
• VLENT VICTIMIZATN OF LBIANS, GAYS AND BISEXUALS CANADA, 2014
• THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, 2-SPIR AND TERSEX PERSONS

DISCRIMATN AGAST GAYS AND LBIANS

2006 – Wh the regnn of marriage gays and lbians are now able to sponsor same-sex partners on equal terms and steps were taken to acmodate the barriers created by the lack of regnn of same-sex marriage other parts of the world. Recent chang legislatn and societal norms have created a growg acceptance of fai wh same-sex parents, as well as the adoptn of children by same-sex upl and awardg ctody of children to gays and lbians.

In crimal s, homosexual advanc have sometim been treated as “provotn”, th jtifyg a shorter sentence for an assailant, even when siar heterosexual advance would not be treated this way. That year, the Canadian ernment passed an omnib bill crimalizg private sexual acts between two people over the age of 21 – a breakthrough treatg gay men, lbians and bisexuals equally unr the law. This cln was a clear claratn by Parliament that gay, lbian and bisexual Canadians are entled to "an opportuny equal wh other dividuals to make for themselv the liv they are able and wish to have [...

The Wele Friend Associatn provis support, trag and outreach for other anizatns and muni to promote awarens and unrstandg of the lbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgenr (LGBQT) muny. It assists the regnn and growth of gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr, transsexual, two-spir, tersex, queer and qutng persons and their fai Canada. Acrdg to the 2014 General Social Survey on Canadians’ Safety (Victimizatn), Canadians aged 18 years and olr who intified as lbian or gay (142E) and bisexual (267E) were much more likely than their heterosexual (69) unterparts to be victims of vlent crime.

RIGHTS OF LGBTI PERSONS

Even after ntrollg for other factors such as age, maral stat, past history of homelsns, and childhood abe, the odds of beg a victim of vlent victimizatn were two tim higher among lbian, gay or bisexual Canadians than among their heterosexual unterparts. Among those who reported experiencg discrimatn the five years precedg the survey, lbian and gay dividuals were signifintly more likely (79%) than their bisexual (35%E) and heterosexual (2%) unterparts to perceive the discrimatn as beg based on their sexual orientatn.

Rearch has shown that the rate of vlent victimizatn among dividuals who self‑intify as lbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) ntu to be signifintly higher than among their heterosexual unterparts (Bechamp 2008; Conroy and Cotter 2017; Teasdale and Bradley‑Engen 2010).

Usg self‑reported data om the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety (Victimizatn), this Juristat article prents rmatn on vlent victimizatn—cints of sexual asslt, robbery and physil asslt—mted agast lbian, gay and bisexual dividuals aged 18 years and olr Canada, along wh their dividual experienc of Perceptns of the police and feelgs of personal safety are also explored. Begng 1969, succsive Supreme Court of Canada lgs and Acts of Parliament have enshred law the rights of those who intify as lbian, gay and bisexual and protectn om discrimatn, harassment and vlence motivated by hate (Government of Canada 2017).

VLENT VICTIMIZATN OF LBIANS, GAYS AND BISEXUALS CANADA, 2014

Individuals who self‑intified as lbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) tend to be younger, wh two five (40%) bisexual dividuals and over half (54%) of lbian and gay dividuals reportg that they were between the ag of 18 and 34. Sexual orientatn: Refers to how a person perceiv and f their sexualy, which is whether she or he nsirs herself or himself to be heterosexual, lbian and gay, or bisexual.

The past few s have been marked by a signifint amount of public bate and legislatn regardg issu pertag to the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer and two‑spired (LGBTQ2) muny.

Acrdg to the 2014 GSS on Victimizatn, those who intified as lbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) were signifintly more likely to report experiencg vlent victimizatn than those who intified as heterosexual. In 2014, overall, there were more than 100, 000E cints of vlent victimizatn volvg a bisexual victim and more than 49, 000E cints volvg a lbian or gay victim, rrpondg to rat of 267E and 142E cints per 1, 000 populatn, rpectively (Chart 1). After age‑standardizg, the overall rate of vlent victimizatn for LGB Canadians was more than double that of heterosexual Canadians (165 vers 69 cints per 1, 000 populatn), wh a rate of 125E for lbian and gay dividuals and a rate of 191E for bisexual In other words, the fact that LGB Canadians are, on average, younger than heterosexual Canadians explas some, but not all, of the difference victimizatn rat between the two populatns.

THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, 2-SPIR AND TERSEX PERSONS

The rate of vlent victimizatn among lbian and gay Canadians creased by 67% between 2009 and 2014 (434E cints per 1, 000 populatn 2009 to 142E cints 2014) (Table 3).

Among those who reported livg cens metropolan areas, bisexual and lbian and gay dividuals were over three tim and two tim more likely, rpectively, to report experiencg vlent victimizatn than their heterosexual unterparts (241E and 157E vers 71 cints per 1, 000 populatn). In 2014, bisexual dividuals were signifintly more likely than their heterosexual and lbian or gay unterparts to report experiencg hidn homelsnsNote at some pot durg their lifetime (18%E vers 8% and 12%), and they were three tim more likely than their heterosexual unterparts to experience livg a shelter, on the street or an abandoned buildg (6%E vers 2%). However, discrimatn was far more mon among lbian and gay (31%) and bisexual (39%) dividuals, pared to their heterosexual (13%) unterparts (Table 4).

Of those who reported experiencg discrimatn the five years precedg the survey, lbian and gay dividuals were signifintly more likely (79%) than their bisexual (35%E) and heterosexual (2%) unterparts to perceive the discrimatn as beg based on their sexual Other mon reasons clud discrimatn on the basis of physil appearance and sex (Table 4). However, while three‑quarters (75%) of those who were heterosexual and seven ten (71%) of those who intified as beg lbian and gay reported a "somewhat strong" or "very strong" sense of belongg to their lol muny, a signifintly smaller proportn of those who were bisexual reported the levels of belongg (59%).

However, bisexual dividuals reported lower levels of satisfactn than their heterosexual and lbian and gay unterparts, and were ls likely to rate their satisfactn wh their personal safety as beg eher "very satisfied" or "satisfied" (77% vers 88% and 86%). The current study found notable differenc the rat of vlent victimizatn between lbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual Canadians, addn to differenc between LGB groups. When broken down further, the age‑standardized rate for lbian and gay Canadians was 125E cints per 1, 000 populatn and the age‑standardized rate for bisexual Canadians was 191E cints per 1, 000 populatn.

A lbian, gay, or bisexual person born 1950 (age 72 2022) survived laws that crimalized their sexualy until the were 19, had their sexualy seen as a mental disorr until they were 29, survived the “u mache” era, which saw public service, RCMP, and ary LGBTQ employe targeted, vtigated, and purged om their jobs until they were 40 (Foy, 2018), would not have their human rights protected unr the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms until they were 45, and would not have legal rights to marry until they were aged 55 (Canadian Broadst Corporatn, 2012).