For a quick overview of the survey results, click on any of the six categories below.
Results are representative of those that responded to the survey and cannot be used to make generalizations about the entire population of 2SLGBTQI+ people living in Canada.
39% of 2SLGBTQI+ respondents reported experiencing violence due to homophobia, transphobia, biphobia or other forms of discrimination directed at their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression in the last five years. That violence most often took the form of verbal abuse.
Thinking only of the violence directed at you based on your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression over the last five years, please identify the type you experienced (select all that apply).
Type of violence experienced
Percentage
Verbal abuse
90%
Online harassment
51%
Psychological violence
47%
Physical violence
17%
Sexual violence
13%
Property damage
9%
Other
5%
Physical health care
81% survey respondents had a primary health care provider such as a family doctor or a nurse practitioner.
Do you have a primary health care provider e.g. family doctor or nurse practitioner?
Response
Percentage
Yes
81%
No
19%
However, respondents who identified as asexual, non-binary or gender diverse were most likely to report that their health care professionals were not very, or not knowledgeable at all about how their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression impacted their health needs in the past five years.
Thinking only of your experiences with health care professionals over the past five years, how would you rate their understanding of your sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression and their impact on your health needs?
Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation of Respondent
Health care professionals are not very knowledgeable
Health care professionals are not knowledgeable at all
Lesbian
23%
6%
Gay
13%
3%
Bisexual
20%
5%
Pansexual
23%
7%
Queer
25%
8%
Asexual
29%
14%
Heterosexual
16%
3%
Unsure
16%
1%
Demisexual
37%
10%
Two-Spirit
20%
3%
Gender Identity
Gender Identity of Respondent
Heath care professionals are not very knowledgeable
Health care professionals are not knowledgeable at all
Transgender respondents were most likely to say that they were denied employment due to their gender identity. While Two-Spirit respondents were more likely to report being denied employment because of their sexual orientation.
In the past five years have you been denied employment opportunities due to your sexual orientation or your gender identity?
In the past five years have you been denied employment opportunities due to your sexual orientation?
Sexual Orientation of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Lesbian
10%
16%
74%
Gay
11%
15%
74%
Bisexual
6%
17%
77%
Pansexual
8%
19%
72%
Queer
10%
23%
67%
Asexual
4%
17%
79%
Heterosexual
10%
11%
79%
Unsure
5%
18%
76%
Demisexual
12%
21%
67%
Two-Spirit
21%
18%
61%
In the past five years have you been denied employment opportunities due to your gender identity?
Gender Identity of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Woman (transgender)
30%
21%
49%
Woman (cisgender)
7%
15%
78%
Man (transgender)
22%
25%
53%
Man (cisgender)
4%
13%
83%
Gender Diverse
15%
26%
59%
Non-Binary
16%
27%
57%
Two-Spirit
19%
16%
64%
Two-Spirit respondents and transgender men and women were most likely to have experienced harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the last five years.
In the past five years, have you experienced harassment in the work place due to your sexual orientation or your gender identity?
In the past five years, have you experienced harassment in the work place due to your sexual orientation?
Sexual Orientation of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Lesbian
27%
6%
67%
Gay
27%
4%
69%
Bisexual
22%
7%
71%
Pansexual
27%
6%
66%
Queer
31%
6%
62%
Asexual
19%
7%
74%
Heterosexual
21%
3%
76%
Unsure
14%
11%
75%
Demisexual
26%
11%
63%
Two-Spirit
42%
5%
53%
In the past five years, have you experienced harassment in the work place due to your gender identity?
Gender Identity of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Woman (transgender)
45%
10%
45%
Woman (cisgender)
17%
6%
77%
Man (transgender)
47%
8%
45%
Man (cisgender)
6%
6%
88%
Gender diverse
32%
9%
58%
Non-binary
36%
9%
54%
Two-Spirit
38%
7%
55%
Housing
Discrimination based on actual or perceived gender identity was most likely to impact respondents’ access to stable housing over the past five years. Transgender and Two-Spirit respondents reported the highest incidence of discrimination.
In the past five years, has the stability of your housing situation or your ability to access stable housing been impacted by discrimination based on your sexual orientation or your gender identity?
In the past five years, has the stability of your housing situation or your ability to access stable housing been impacted by discrimination based on your sexual orientation?
Sexual Orientation of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Lesbian
7%
9%
84%
Gay
6%
7%
88%
Bisexual
6%
10%
84%
Pansexual
8%
12%
80%
Queer
10%
13%
77%
Asexual
6%
12%
83%
Heterosexual
7%
10%
83%
Unsure
6%
12%
83%
Demisexual
6%
14%
80%
Two-Spirit
14%
11%
75%
In the past five years, has the stability of your housing situation or your ability to access stable housing been impacted by discrimination based on your gender identity?
Gender Identity of respondent
Yes
Don’t know
No
Woman (transgender)
19%
16%
65%
Woman (cisgender)
3%
8%
89%
Man (transgender)
17%
13%
70%
Man (cisgender)
2%
8%
90%
Gender diverse
11%
16%
72%
Non-binary
12%
16%
72%
Two-Spirit
16%
14%
70%
Stigma, isolation and resilience
62% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement: I feel included and represented within 2SLGBTQI+ community spaces, events, and services…
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I feel included and represented within 2SLGBTQI+ community spaces, events, and services.
Level of agreement
Percentage
Strongly agree
20%
Somewhat agree
42%
Neither agree nor disagree
15%
Somewhat disagree
15%
Strongly disagree
7%
… and cisgender men reported the highest level of life satisfaction of all survey respondents between November 27, 2020, and February 28, 2021. Transgender men reported the lowest levels.
Life satisfaction
Using a scale of 0 to 10, how do you feel about your life as a whole right now? 0 is very dissatisfied and 10 is very satisfied.
Life satisfaction mean of the entire sample of the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey
Gender Identity of respondent
Mean
Man (cisgender)
6.9
Woman (cisgender)
6.6
Two-Spirit
6.0
Gender diverse (Gender-fluid)
5.7
Non-binary
5.5
Woman (transgender)
5.4
Man (transgender)
5.3
The self-reported mean life satisfaction of the Canadian general population was 6.7 in June 2020Footnote 2 compared to 6.4 for the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey respondents.
Friendships were identified by participants as an important source of resilience in their lives.
Please indicate which of the following are most important to you for building resiliency in your life?Footnote 3
Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation of respondent
Romantic Partner
Friends
Chosen Family
Biological Family
Primary Health Care
Lesbian
58%
70%
38%
42%
19%
Gay
55%
76%
33%
45%
20%
Bisexual
51%
73%
39%
41%
22%
Pansexual
49%
67%
48%
32%
25%
Queer
48%
67%
50%
34%
21%
Asexual
26%
75%
47%
36%
26%
Heterosexual
48%
66%
28%
41%
34%
Unsure
34%
74%
31%
40%
26%
Demisexual
40%
71%
61%
25%
32%
Gender Identity
Gender Identity of respondent
Romantic Partner
Friends
Chosen Family
Biological Family
Primary Health Care
Woman (transgender)
50%
64%
41%
29%
36%
Woman (cisgender)
54%
73%
38%
46%
19%
Man (transgender)
40%
67%
48%
26%
36%
Man (cisgender)
55%
76%
32%
46%
19%
Gender Diverse
46%
63%
49%
28%
23%
Non-Binary
43%
67%
52%
27%
24%
Two-Spirit
Respondent
Romantic Partner
Friends
Chosen Family
Biological Family
2SLGBTQI+ Community Organizations / Events such as Pride
Two-Spirit
36%
63%
42%
42%
24%
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