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LGBTQ Inequality And Discrimination In Canada

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“When all men give to all others all the rights they claim for themselves, this world will be civilized”, said Robert G. Ingersoll, an orator of United States during the Golden Age of Free Thought. Although the rights of Lesbian, Gay Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Canadians have advanced rapidly over the last decade, both societally and legally, there is still a long journey ahead on the road to equality.

The issue of LGBTQ inequality and discrimination is one that is extremely important to Canadians because LGBTQ discrimination affects a significant portion of Canadian citizens. The Forum Research poll, which is commissioned by the National Post, found that 5% of Canadians identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. …show more content…
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, LGBTQ people suffer higher rates of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorders, suicidality, self-harm, and substance use and double the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, compared to heterosexual individuals. Furthermore, Statistics Canada’s 2010 police-reported hate crime data confirms that violence against the LGBTQ community continues to be the most severe of all forms of hate crime in Canada. Moreover, LGBTQ bullying occurs extremely frequently in school, especially during the years of secondary education. In fact, according to a 2011 study conducted by The Frances McClelland Institute, 90% LGBTQ students report hearing the word “gay” used in an offensive way, 85% report begin verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation, and 44% report being physically harassed because of their sexual orientation. These unbelievably large numbers are signs that a positive change in opinion and behaviour towards the humans in the LGBTQ community needs to …show more content…
Society as a whole must unite and work collectively to ensure LGBTQ equality. The small things that people do, such as changing their Facebook profile picture to a rainbow in support of the legalization of gay marriage in the United States or starting up a LGBTQ club in their community or at their school, move society closer and closer to reaching the goal of equality for all Homo Sapiens, regardless of who they love or how they view themselves. The actions that individuals take will lead to a fully accepting and loving society. After all, as the famous United States president, Thomas Jefferson once said, “Do you want to know who you are? Don 't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define

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