As Canadians, we take great pride in our LGBTQ rights and we have good reason to: ours are among the most advanced in the world and our urban centres are a beacon of hope and opportunity for queer people outside our borders.
Living downtown, I often meet people that come from countries that I consider superior in terms of climate or culture. And yet they leave these places for what they consider safer and more tolerant pastures. Gabriel left Mexico in January 2018 and hasn’t looked back. When asked why he chose dreary, cold Toronto, he didn’t hesitate: “This is only place I can be myself and not be afraid. In Mexico it is okay to be gay, but you cannot live a real life. No one will protect you.” Darryl left Barbados at the age of 24 with one simple mission: “Everyone knows that Canada is the best place for gays- there was no other option for me.”
Do we live up?
But are our pastures actually greener? Do we live up to our billing as most gay-friendly country in the world? Living here it’s easy to take for granted that our Prime Minister openly supports queer people and even leads our Pride parades. This isn’t common. Just ask anyone in Brazil or the U.S. if their head of state would lead the Sao Paulo or NYC Pride parades. In Istanbul this week, Pride marchers were attacked by the police with plastic bullets and tear gas.
For a small country and small city (by global standards), Toronto Pride is one of the largest in the world. And let’s not forget that Canada was the 4th country in the world- and the first outside of Europe- to allow same-sex marriage way back in 2005.
We have openly gay politicians at all levels of government. Same-sex couples can adopt children and start families. At a fundamental level, our federal government as well as all provinces and territories prohibit discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in private and public sector. We tend to take this, and our many other rights and freedoms, for granted.
Step outside
All it takes is a trip to another country to realize how fortunate we are. I visited Bali two years ago and was shocked to see that the government banned Grindr and other LGBT apps and websites. That’s because in Indonesia, while consensual homosexual acts are legal at the federal level, provincial governments can criminalize consensual same-sex sex through bylaws.
The punishment for having consensual sex with your same sex partner can be 100 lashes and up to 100 months in prison. And it’s enforced. In 2017, just two months after I left Indonesia, two men were sentenced to a public caning for having sex.
LGBTQ rights around the world
In Jamaica you can get up to 10 years for having consensual gay sex. But here’s the kicker- it only applies to men; sexual behavior between women is legal. So when you’re booking your next vacation, be mindful of how you’re spending your tourist dollars, not to mention your own safety.
Even within the so-called advanced G7 nations, there are huge gaps in LGBT rights. In Italy, same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt a child. Japan is known to be a tolerant society, but sexual orientation is not covered by civil rights laws. This means that in the event of discrimination at work, in housing or health care, a Japanese LGBTQ person has no legal recourse.
Land of the free?
Our neighbours to the south gave us Stonewall, PFLAG, Harvey Milk, and the Pride flag, but same-sex marriage was legalized a full 10 years after us in Canada. Even today, the U.S. Equality Act does not include protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. So if you live in one of 12 states that does not have state-level protection, you can be terminated from your job simply for being gay or trans. Not to mention the current transgender military ban supported by the President and Supreme Court itself.
More work to do
That’s not to say we don’t have work to do here at home. A 2017 CROP poll indicated that a full 26% of respondents were against same-sex marriage. For a country that is known for tolerance, that seems quite high. Compare that to Sweden, Denmark, and UK where less than 10% of respondents were against same-sex marriage.
Indeed, Stats Canada reports hate crimes toward the LGBTQ community have increased and worse, violent crimes accounted for a higher proportion of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation when compared with other types of hate crimes. Just this month, Hamilton’s Pride festival was met with hateful and violent protesters. The fact that this is still happening in Canada today proves that there is much more work to be done.
Put the unity in community
History shows us that overcoming discrimination and hate requires strong sense of solidarity within the LGBTQ community and our allies. We must ensure that trans people are not left behind on our quest for inclusivity and protection from discrimination. There is also the continued work in HIV research and education, including ending stigmatization of HIV.
People from all over Canada and the world flock to our urban centres in hopes of finding a more friendly queer community, but do we live up to their expectations? Are we welcoming to LGBTQ newcomers or do we make them feel invisible? While laws protect from discrimination, it is a strong sense of community that helps newcomers adjust to our unique culture by making them feel welcome, safe, and accepted.
Rights vs. privileges
In Canada, we enjoy rights and freedoms that most other LGBTQ people only dream of and may never see in their lifetimes. This was not always the case and so it’s important to acknowledge that our privilege was built on the hard work and suffering of the queer people and allies that came before us and fought for these rights.
It is our responsibility then to continue to stand up for the rights of those who are marginalized today, both at home and abroad. In Canada things are not perfect, but relatively speaking, ours is among the best countries on the planet to be an LGBTQ person. As much as we should take pride in this, remember to take nothing for granted. If our rights can be given, they can be taken away. And if they can be taken away, they’re not rights, they’re temporary privileges.
Resources and additional reading
Unless otherwise noted, all data and illustrations have been obtained from the following resources:
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
