Tuesday marked the the 18th annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia — a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities.
This year, one of the main focuses is raising awareness and support for LGBTQ2 community members and safer spaces in the workplace.
More than 50 per cent of LGBTQ2 employees feel the need to hide their identity at work, according to Pride at Work Canada.
“We may have gotten to a place where we have certain legal protections in Canada in regards to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, which is very exciting,” said Jade Pichette, Pride at Work Canada’s director of programs.
“But, it’s also a time where we are seeing global backlash against the community. In Canada, although we have some of these legal protections, we are still seeing a hierarchy.”
It’s a hierarchy in which people in the LGBTQ2 community are being discriminated against in their earnings, according to experts.
“Some of the evidence for that is the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation Canada (SRDC) research, which recently showcased the hierarchy in Canada,” said Pichette.
“According to the research, straight men make more than gay men, who make more than lesbians who make more than straight women and bisexual men, who make more than bisexual women, who make more than transgendered people.”
The awareness day has partnered with Pantene, who have produced a video, highlighting personal stories about LGBTQ2 community members in their workplaces.
In Kelowna, Kelowna Pride Society says this is an important day for everyone in the community, and that conversations in the workplace about loved ones or personal lives shouldn’t be controversial.
“We don’t think twice when a straight person mentions ‘my wife’ or ‘my husband’, but the minute that stuff is mentioned by a queer person, it becomes a controversial issue, like, ‘Does this need to be shared?’, said Fahmy Baharuddin, Kelowna Pride Society’s president
“I think we really need to put into perspective the normalization of those conversations.”
Kelowna Pride Society is encouraging all local residents to take to their social media to express their support for LGBTQ2 community members, to increase the visibility of support for those that may need it.
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