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Celebrating LGBTQ Diversity

O Queer Canada

Strong History of LGBTQ Rights... Gay-Friendly Country...

Canada has a strong history of LGBTQ rights and is considered a relatively gay-friendly country, with significant legal protections and a vibrant queer community, including gay areas and communities in major cities.  In general, Canada has earned a reputation for its respect for diversity, for being a society that accepts and affirms people of all backgrounds, for promoting equality and justice, and for fostering a national spirit that is friendly, civil, and progressive.

In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, right behind Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.  It would not be for another 10 years before the United States was added to the list of countries that ratified marriage equality.

Canada is the homeland of equality, justice and tolerance
-Kim Campbell, Canadian politician

Canada is the best country in the world.
-Ryan Gosling, Canadian Actor

I am proud to say that in Canada we recognize that diversity is a great source of strength.
-Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister

Canada is one the most impressive countries in the world.
-Barack Obama, US President

When I’m in Canada, I feel this is what the world should be like.

-Jane Fonda, US Actor

We have created a society where individual rights and freedoms, compassion and diversity are core to our citizenship. But underlying that idea of Canada is the promise that we all have a chance to build a better life for ourselves and our children.
-Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister

LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

LGBTQ Guide to Canada

Legal Protections and Recognition

--Decriminalization: Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in 1969.
--Anti-Discrimination: Sexual orientation and gender identity are protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
--Same-Sex Marriage: Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005.
--Transgender Rights: The Canadian Human Rights Act was updated in 2017 to include gender identity and gender expression.
--Two-Spirit People: Canada recognizes Two-Spirit people as part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
--Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan: Launched in 2022, this plan aims to advance the rights and equality of 2SLGBTQI+ people.
--Refugee Protection: Canada has a history of providing protection and resettlement to those in need, including LGBTQ refugees.

For Canada's LGBTQ Community, Acceptance is Still a Work in Progress
Hanlan’s Point Beach in Toronto: Historic LGBTQ Space
Canada's LGBTQ Population Now 1 Million

Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

Queer Culture and Community

--Gay Areas: Major cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa have established gay areas and communities.
--Gay Pride: Every summer, Canada's LGBTQ community celebrates gay pride in all major cities.
--Media Outlets: There are a number of LGBTQ-targeted media outlets.
--Organizations: Organizations like Egale Canada and The ArQuives advocate for LGBTQ rights and preserve queer history.
--Pride Toronto: Is a large pride festival that attracts over a million attendees.
 

Challenges and Ongoing Issues

--Homophobia and Transphobia: Despite legal protections, Canadian society still faces challenges with homophobia and transphobia.
--Discrimination: LGBTQ Canadians still face discrimination in areas like employment.
--Social Acceptance: While social acceptance of homosexuality is high, there's still work to be done to ensure full equality.
--Homelessness: LGBTQ youth are over-represented among the homeless population.

LGBTQ Rights in Canada
Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

LGBTQ Guide to Canada
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States
O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

A  Canadian's Perspective on Trump's Election

Andrew Coyne, a highly respected Canadian columnist with the Globe and Mail, pulls no punches on the incoming US administration...

Nothing mattered, in the end. Not the probable dementia, the unfathomable ignorance, the emotional incontinence; not, certainly, the shambling, hate-filled campaign, or the ludicrously unworkable anti-policies.

The candidate out on bail in four jurisdictions, the convicted fraud artist, the adjudicated rapist and serial sexual predator, the habitual bankrupt, the stooge of Vladimir Putin, the man who tried to overturn the last election and all of his creepy retinue of crooks, ideologues and lunatics: Americans took a long look at all this and said, yes please.

There is no sense in understating the depth of the disaster. This is a crisis like no other in our lifetimes. The government of the United States has been delivered into the hands of a gangster, whose sole purpose in running, besides staying out of jail, is to seek revenge on his enemies. The damage Donald Trump and his nihilist cronies can do – to America, but also to its democratic allies, and to the peace and security of the world – is incalculable. We are living in the time of Nero.

The first six months will be a time of maximum peril. NATO must from this moment be considered effectively obsolete, without the American security guarantee that has always been its bedrock. We may see new incursions by Russia into Europe – the poor Ukrainians are probably done for, but now it is the Baltics and the Poles who must worry – before the Europeans have time to organize an alternative. China may also accelerate its Taiwanese ambitions.

Canada's Opinion of Trump
Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian
Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

"Why is Trump bullying one of the nicest countries in the world? Canada is, quite literally, America’s closest ally. It is also our second-largest trade partner. Little wonder, then, that for as long as anyone can remember, US presidents have been praising our northern neighbor. But, Trump's bullying is turning Canada from friend to foe."

-Max Boot, Washington Post, March 2025

At home, Mr. Trump will be moving swiftly to consolidate his power. Some of this will be institutional – the replacement of tens of thousands of career civil servants with Trumpian loyalists. But some of it will be … atmospheric.

At some point someone – a company whose chief executive has displeased him, a media critic who has gotten under his skin – will find themselves the subject of unwanted attention from the Trump administration. It might not be so crude as a police arrest. It might just be a little regulatory matter, a tax audit, something like that. They will seek the protection of the courts, and find it is not there.

The judges are also Trump loyalists, perhaps, or too scared to confront him. Or they might issue a ruling, and find it has no effect – that the administration has called the basic bluff of liberal democracy: the idea that, in the crunch, people in power agree to be bound by the law, and by its instruments the courts, the same as everyone else. Then everyone will take their cue. Executives will line up to court him. Media organizations, the large ones anyway, will find reasons to be cheerful.

Of course, in reality things will start to fall apart fairly quickly. The huge across-the-board tariffs he imposes will tank the world economy. The massive deficits, fueled by his ill-judged tax policies – he won’t replace the income tax, as he promised, but will fill it with holes – and monetized, at his direction, by the Federal Reserve, will ignite a new round of inflation.

Canada's Opinion of Trump
Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian
Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

French Politician: Speech on Trump (French and English)
Message From Guy in Quebec
 

Most of all, the insane project of deporting 12 million undocumented immigrants – finding them, rounding them up and detaining them in hundreds of internment camps around the country, probably for years, before doing so – will consume his administration. But by then it will be too late.

We should not count upon the majority of Americans coming to their senses in any event. They were not able to see Mr. Trump for what he was before: why should that change? Would they not, rather, be further coarsened by the experience of seeing their neighbors dragged off by the police, or the military, further steeled to the necessity of doing “tough things” to “restore order?”

Some won’t, of course. But they will find in time that the democratic levers they might once have pulled to demand change are no longer attached to anything. There are still elections, but the rules have been altered: there are certain obstacles, certain disadvantages if you are not with the party of power. It will seem easier at first to try to change things from within. Then it will be easier not to change things.
 

All of this will wash over Canada in various ways – some predictable, like the flood of refugees seeking escape from the camps; some less so, like the coarsening of our own politics, the debasement of morals and norms by politicians who have discovered there is no political price to be paid for it. And who will have the backing of their patron in Washington.

All my life I have been an admirer of the United States and its people. But I am frightened of it now, and I am even more frightened of them.
 

[Source: Andrew Coyne, Canadian columnist, The Globe and Mail, January 2025]

LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers

For Canada's LGBTQ Community, Acceptance is Still a Work in Progress
Hanlan’s Point Beach in Toronto: Historic LGBTQ Space
Canada's LGBTQ population Now 1 Million

How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada: Our Relationship With the USA is Over
Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

LGBTQ Guide to Canada
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

Famous LGBTQ Canadians

Queer Canadian Celebrities...

Iconic LGBTQ Canadians We're Absolutely Obsessed With
Canadian LGBTQ Rights Activists

Canada's Opinion of Trump
Michael V. Smith: Queer British Columbia Poet
Tam Pham: Queer Nova Scotia Biochemist

Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian
Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

Shawn Barber: Gay Canadian Olympic Athlete

Famous Homosexuals from Canada

French Politician: Speech on Trump (French and English)
Message From Guy in Quebec

Canadian LGBTQ Influencers in 2025
LGBTQ Members of Canadian Military

Dear America

A Message From Canada to Our Trump-Loving Neighbors...

To the 77 Million Trump-Loving, Conspiracy-Huffing, Rage-Addicted Americans (And the Canadian Dumbfucks Who Worship Them)...

Listen, I get it. You think we’re just a bunch of polite, snow-loving, maple syrup-chugging pushovers up here in Canada. You’ve been misled. We’re polite, sure. But only until we get pissed off. And you, dear MAGA cultists, are testing our fucking patience.

Let’s clear up a few things about who we actually are, because you seem to be confused. We’re a country that gives a shit about our elders, our kids, and our most vulnerable. We actually value education instead of treating it like some left-wing brainwashing experiment. We don’t get all horny over billionaires hoarding wealth while our neighbors die in poverty. We don’t fantasize about returning to the 1940s, and we sure as hell don’t think the most corrupt sack of shit on the planet was personally chosen by God. Who does that? Oh right—you.
But let’s go deeper.

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses
Community One Foundation
Egale Canada
PFLAG Canada
ArQuives

We’ve Always Been Your Best Fucking Neighbor—So What the Hell Happened?

Time and time again, Canada has been there when the US needed us. World War I? We were in the trenches before you even showed up. World War II? We were storming the beaches of Normandy while you were still debating whether or not to help. Korea, Afghanistan, peacekeeping missions—you name it, we’ve had your back. We sent our firefighters to help when California burned. When Katrina wiped out New Orleans, we were there. And on 9/11? We fucking welcomed thousands of stranded Americans into our homes, because that’s what decent people do.

And what did we ask for in return? Nothing. We didn’t demand grovelling gratitude or threaten to “never help again” if you didn’t kiss our ass. That’s your toxic, transactional bullshit—not ours.

Enter Your Mango-Colored Messiah: A Convicted Criminal With a Cult

So after all that, what do we get? Your country elects a spray-tanned sociopath with a vocabulary of a Grade 3 dropout, and suddenly we’re the bad guys? You’ve got a convicted fraudster leading your country—a man who insults war heroes, mocks the disabled, and jerks off to the thought of authoritarian rule—and we’re the problem? You’ve got a party foaming at the mouth to gut democracy, roll back civil rights, and turn the US into a theocratic shithole, but we’re the ones who should shut up?  Nah. Fuck that.

LGBTQ Rights in Canada
Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers

Canada's Opinion of Trump
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian
Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

LGBTQ Guide to Canada
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

French Politician: Speech on Trump (French and English)
Message From Guy in Quebec

Canada: Our Relationship With the USA is Over

O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

And to the Canadian Trump Bootlickers—Sit the Fuck Down

I can already hear the Canadian MAGA muppets shrieking, “Mind your own broken country!” Oh, sweetheart. If Canada were actually broken, it would be because of dumbass conservatives like you who take marching orders from a foreign conman.

Is Canada perfect? Of course not. But unlike you bootlicking clowns, we don’t rally behind leaders who openly admire fascists and flirt with the idea of rounding up immigrants. We don’t foam at the mouth over the idea of a “war on woke” while pretending climate change isn’t real. And we certainly don’t suck off billionaires while pretending trickle-down economics isn’t a scam.

You morons scream about freedom, but what you really mean is the freedom to be an ignorant, unvaccinated, gun-hoarding dipshit. The moment someone else—be it a woman, an immigrant, or a person of color—wants the same freedom you enjoy? Oh no, suddenly that’s tyranny. Fuck off with that hypocrisy.
 

Canada Isn’t Broken—You Just Can’t Handle Reality

What do we actually have in Canada? Universal health care. Sensible gun laws. A social safety net that, while imperfect, at least tries to keep people from starving in the streets.

Meanwhile, in your MAGA utopia, you can literally go bankrupt because you got cancer. You send kids to school in bulletproof backpacks because you refuse to do anything about mass shootings. You’re so brainwashed by billionaires that you think raising the minimum wage is worse than cutting taxes for a corporation that made $100 billion last quarter. And you have the fucking gall to call us broken?

Iconic LGBTQ Canadians We're Absolutely Obsessed With
Canadian LGBTQ Rights Activists

Michael V. Smith: Queer British Columbia Poet
Tam Pham: Queer Nova Scotia Biochemist
Shawn Barber: Gay Canadian Olympic Athlete

Famous Homosexuals from Canada

Canadian LGBTQ Influencers in 2025
LGBTQ Members of Canadian Military

Mind My Own Business? I Fucking Wish

Oh, I’d love to. Really, I would. But here’s the problem—when you share a border with a country of over 300 million people, and that country elects a conspiracy-loving, anti-science lunatic to power, it becomes my business.

When your president guts economic, military, and trade alliances that help keep the world stable? That’s my business. When your leader openly muses about invading sovereign countries—including ours? That’s definitely my business.

And when a bunch of dumbfuck Canadians start acting like America’s the blueprint for success, despite all evidence to the contrary? That’s all of our business.

We’re Watching, and We’re Not Impressed

So, dear Trump cultists, both American and Canadian: we’re onto you. We see your bullshit, your hypocrisy, your complete detachment from reality. And we’re not buying a single second of it.

We’re your neighbors, your allies, your friends—but we’re not your doormats. We’re polite, but we’re not fucking stupid. And right now? We’re watching. Closely.

Warmest regards,
A Canadian Who’s Had Enough of Your Bullshit
 

[Source: Jim Elliott, March 2025]

Canada's Opinion of Trump
Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers

For Canada's LGBTQ Community, Acceptance is Still a Work in Progress
Hanlan’s Point Beach in Toronto: Historic LGBTQ Space
Canada's LGBTQ population Now 1 Million

Canada: Our Relationship With the USA is Over

How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

Canadian LGBTQ Community

Queer Canadian Activity ...

The Government of Canada uses the acronym 2SLGBTQI+ to refer to people that are Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity.

In Canada, approximately 1.3 million individuals, or 4.4% of the population aged 15 and older, identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, with transgender or non-binary people accounting for 0.33% of the population.

Although same-sex sexual activity was illegal in Canada up to 1969, gay and lesbian themes appear in Canadian literature throughout the 20th century. Canada is now regarded as one of the most advanced countries in legal recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights.

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses
Community One Foundation
Egale Canada
PFLAG Canada
ArQuives

While LGBTQ people live in both large and small communities throughout Canada, the largest and most prominent LGBTQ communities are located in major metropolitan cities, such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa.

Canada is a relatively gay-friendly country, with its largest cities featuring their own gay areas and communities, such as Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighborhood, Montreal's Gay Village commercial district, Vancouver's Davie Village, and Ottawa's Bank Street Gay Village.  These LGBTQ-oriented neighborhoods, or gay villages, have emerged as hubs of LGBTQ culture and tourism.

Social surveys show a general tolerance of homosexuality. Every summer, Canada's LGBTQ community celebrates gay pride in all major cities, with many political figures from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments in attendance. There are a number of LGBTQ-targeted media outlets.

Attitudes to LGBTQ rights are under debate within and between different Christian churches.
 

In Canada, Pride Season refers to the wide array of Pride events held from June to September. In other countries like the United States, the month of June is recognized as Pride Month whereas in Canada, it's a full season.

Pride parades have been held in various cities throughout Canada since the events of Pride Week 1973 and have also become larger in attendance, as legal and cultural attitudes towards LGBTQ citizens in Canada are relaxed. The largest current pride event, Pride Week in Toronto, was launched in 1981 following that year's Operation Soap by Toronto Metropolitan Police; the bathhouse raid and reaction by LGBTQ people is considered the Canadian equivalent of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Edmonton Pride also evolved from the protests against a 1981 bathhouse raid in Edmonton, Alberta, although that event did not add a parade until the early 1990s.  Many other Canadian cities, both large and small, have since launched annual pride events, with the largest and most prominent festivities taking place in Toronto, Calgary (Calgary Pride), Ottawa (Capital Pride), Montreal (Fierté Montréal), Halifax (Halifax Pride), and Vancouver (Vancouver Pride).

Toronto acted as host city for the international WorldPride in 2014.

Canadians Support Protection of LGBTQ Community, But Declining Support May Indicate Step Back in Progress
Overview of LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses

Govt of Canada: Commitment to Human Rights

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

Govt of Canada: LGBTQ Facts and Stats
 

Canadian Fun Facts

Let's Learn About Those Toque-Wearing Northerners...

Canada is often described as a vast, rugged, frigid, diverse, and multicultural nation known for its natural beauty, peaceful society, and progressive values.

From north to south it spans more than half the Northern Hemisphere. From east to west it stretches almost 4,700 miles (7,560 kilometers) across six time zones. It is the second largest country in the world, but it has only one-half of one percent of the world's population. Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area, encompassing a wide range of landscapes from mountains and prairies to frozen tundra and dense forests.

Iconic LGBTQ Canadians We're Absolutely Obsessed With
Canadian LGBTQ Rights Activists

Michael V. Smith: Queer British Columbia Poet
Tam Pham: Queer Nova Scotia Biochemist
Shawn Barber: Gay Canadian Olympic Athlete

Famous Homosexuals from Canada

Canadian LGBTQ Influencers in 2025
LGBTQ Members of Canadian Military

It features majestic mountains (like the Canadian Rockies), frozen glaciers, beautiful cities, and incredible wildlife. Canada boasts the longest coastline in the world, with access to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Canada shares the world's longest international land border with the United States.

The country of Canada is divided into provinces...

Newfoundland/Labrador (capital: St John's)

Prince Edward Island (capital: Charlottetown)

New Brunswick (capital: Fredericton)

Nova Scotia (capital: Halifax)

Quebec (capital: Quebec City)

Ontario (capital: Toronto)

Manitoba (capital: Winnipeg)

Saskatchewan (capital: Regina)

Alberta (capital: Edmonton)

British Columbia (capital: Victoria)

Yukon (capital: Whitehorse)

Northwest Territories (capital: Yellowknife)

Nunavut (capital: Iqaluit)

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses
Community One Foundation
Egale Canada
PFLAG Canada
ArQuives

Despite its size, Canada is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries. Canada is known for its multiculturalism and welcoming attitude towards immigrants and refugees from all over the world.
 

Canada is a peaceful nation that values democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Canada is often characterized as a progressive and just society with policies that promote social justice and equality. Canadians are known for their warm, friendly, welcoming, and hospitable nature. Canadians value equality, respect, safety, peace, and nature. Canadians are known for their politeness and fairness.

Canada has a wealth of natural resources, including timber, minerals, and energy. Canada has a strong and diverse economy, with a focus on agriculture, telecommunications, and energy technologies. Canada plays a significant role in international affairs, with a strong presence in the United Nations, international aid agencies, and peacekeeping missions.
 

Iconic LGBTQ Canadians We're Absolutely Obsessed With
Canadian LGBTQ Rights Activists

French Politician: Speech on Trump (French and English)
Message From Guy in Quebec

Michael V. Smith: Queer British Columbia Poet
Tam Pham: Queer Nova Scotia Biochemist
Shawn Barber: Gay Canadian Olympic Athlete

Canada: Our Relationship With the USA is Over

Famous Homosexuals from Canada

Canadian LGBTQ Influencers in 2025
LGBTQ Members of Canadian Military

Canadian Society and Slang...

Canadian symbols include the red and white maple leaf flag, the Royal Canadian Mounties (mounted police), and, of course hockey. Hockey is a national passion in Canada, with a strong tradition and culture surrounding the sport.

They are known for their brutal winters and arctic environment. Canada is the land of beavers, moose, polar bears, reindeer, grizzly bear, and bighorn sheep.  it is home to the arctic wolf, arctic fox, and arctic hare. Its birds include loons, cranes, snow geese, and, of course Canadian geese.

The Canadian society is a mix of British and French culture. They loving refer to themselves as "Canucks." They say "eh" and they pronounce "ou" as "oo." They are hockey fanatics. They wear wool caps called "toques."  They are proud of their maple syrup and they love their beer.

It has been suggested that Canadians and Americans are very similar. And while they are geographic neighbors, and generally alike in many cultural ways, they are different in some important ways. It's been said, with a touch of humor, that Canadians are simply disarmed Americans with health care.

LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada's Opinion of Trump
Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canadian Silver-Tongued Comedian
Australian View: US Becomes a Fascist Nation

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

LGBTQ Guide to Canada
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

French Politician: Speech on Trump (French and English)
Message From Guy in Quebec

O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

Here are some popular Canadian slang terms and language variations...

Canuck - nickname for Canadian person
Hoser - unsophisticated person
Togue - woolen cap
Tobaggan - snow sled
Clicks - slang for kilometres
Molson Muscle - potbelly (beer belly)
Homo Milk - whole milk
Rye and Ginger - Canadian whiskey and ginger ale
Zed - the letter Z

The French province of Quebec features some language variations that are worth noting...

Romantic Relationship
--mon chum - boyfriend
--ma blonde - girlfriend

Friendship/Platonic
--chum de gars - male friend
--chum de fille - female friend
--chum de l’armée - friend

Queer/LGBTQ
--actif - top gay partner
--passif - bottom gay partner
--vomtesse - countess; elegant, well-mannered homosexual
--crevette - twink; younger gay male
--copain - male buddy, friend; usually used when talking to another gay person
--copine - female buddy, friend; usually used when talking to another gay person
--eddy - violent homophobic person
--folle - queen; effeminate gay man
--grande dame - aloof, flamboyant gay adult
--grande folle - drag queen; male with exaggerated feminine appearance
--sportif - jock; gay athlete
--triaudes - place where gay people meet

--fif - derogatory term for gay men (also: tata, lopette, pede, fiotte)

Canadians Support Protection of LGBTQ Community, But Declining Support May Indicate Step Back in Progress
Overview of LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses

Govt of Canada: Commitment to Human Rights

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

Govt of Canada: LGBTQ Facts and Stats

Comments From LGBTQ Canadians

Tolerance?  Acceptance?  Is Canada LGBTQ Friendly?

"Let’s say that some parts of Canada, such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, are more LGBTQ friendly than others. Since we take “equality before the law” very seriously in Canada, even in “Less Friendly” locales discrimination is likely to be subtle rather than blatant. An old school friend of mine, now transgender, has encountered antipathy from the Lesbian community in Vancouver, so I am not saying belonging to the LGBTQ community in Canada will be without challenges."
-Philip Allingham, Professor & Teacher

"Yes, Canada is LGBTQ friendly. That doesn't mean there isn't still cis-het privilege. But we’ve had marriage equality for many years. Bathrooms are trans people friendly and it is not socially acceptable to be homophobic or transphobic. Of course there are some bigots. Some backwards-thinkers. Some individuals are homophobic or racist or sexist. But they don't represent Canada or Canadian society or Canadian laws."
-Andi Alexander, Healer

Canadians Support Protection of LGBTQ Community, But Declining Support May Indicate Step Back in Progress
Overview of LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Canada’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

Canada: Our Relationship With the USA is Over

Rainbow Registered: Canada's LGBTQ Friendly Businesses

Govt of Canada: Commitment to Human Rights

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers
How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

Govt of Canada: LGBTQ Facts and Stats

"Areas of Canada are LGBTQ friendly. Like anywhere it depends where you go. There are certain areas in my own city that I know are not safe to be out walking if you’re with your partner and you’re gay; the market at night, one of the poorer neighborhoods at any time of day, really. It’s unfortunate that that correlation between poor areas and higher incidents of harassment exists, but it does - I can vouch for that. All that said, almost everywhere else in Ottawa is very safe, as an out gay person. There’s no guarantee you won’t run into bigots here and there who feel the need to say something to you, but I think the chances are fairly low, all told. It reflects the general attitude I feel Canada has towards the community: broad tolerance, with pockets of intolerance.

We are a liberal country, generally speaking. We legalized gay marriage years ago - it’s a non-issue. Even the Conservative party has decided they’re okay with it (in stark contrast to the Republicans in the States, who never will, if they persist as they are). Especially in urban areas, you find broad acceptance of minorities - Canadian cities are diverse, we’ve gotten used to tolerance. We pride ourselves on being as nice as possible, except you’re not really supposed to feel too much pride about things as a Canadian (not openly), so the niceness ends up manifesting rather passive aggressively, at times. As I’ve said before: the mantra of secular liberal Canada really boils down to “be a good person who does good things”. Pretty straightforward. There’s also a little pinch of “Be nicer than America” in there too. I feel like everyone agrees we have to try to do that much, if possible.

LGBTQ Rights in Canada

Prime Minister Delivers Apology to LGBTQ Canadians

Canada Ranked Safest Country on Earth for LGBTQ Travelers

For Canada's LGBTQ Community, Acceptance is Still a Work in Progress
Hanlan’s Point Beach in Toronto: Historic LGBTQ Space
Canada's LGBTQ population Now 1 Million

How Canada Led the World on LGBTQ Issues

Canada Warns LGBTQ Travelers of US Risks

LGBTQ Guide to Canada
Canada Celebrates Pride Season Across the United States

O Canada - National Anthem
Toronto Slang

In terms of how acceptance of the LGBTQ community looks in Canada right now, practically - the premier of Ontario is gay, and nobody cares, except a few stupid idiots yelling in internet comment sections. There’s a gay NDP (New Democrat) MP (Member of Parliament) who I’ve actually met, when I was up on Parliament Hill for a trans rights rally. He’s amazing; he’s been trying for a decade to pass a bill that would give protections to transgender individuals like myself under the Human Rights Charter. So you can easily hold public office as an LGBTQ person; few Canadians will give a shit.

That said, we’re not a glistening utopia of niceness about my country. We sort of have that reputation, but of course it’s an exaggeration - we have bigots, and white supremacists, and assholes, just like everywhere does. I have claimed and still do claim that we have somewhat less of them. I don’t know if that’s just because our society is left-leaning to the extent that it is, and we have less tolerance than say the United States for people who say or do hateful/violent things - it’s probably that. Whatever the reason, it’s made it so you can be an out trans, gay, non-binary, etc. person without generally fearing for your life, knowing that you have basic protections, knowing that you can access health care (hormones, surgeries), that you can hold hands with your partner walking down a busy street in relative safety.

That is not to say that we don’t have room to grow. As long as there’s opposition to our rights and to our existence (and there is) there’s more to be done. I hope this has been informative."

-Brynn, Trans Writer & Educator

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