LGBTQ2S+ Communities in Canada

LGBTQ2 History

To understand the history of LGBTQ2 people in Canada is to understand the process by which an oppressed and persecuted minority group can overcome prejudice and discrimination to achieve legal equality and recognition of their inherent human rights. After being criminalized and stigmatized for centuries, the LGBTQ2 communities in Canada have used sustained political, legal and grassroots activism to gradually but steadily gain rights. (See also Rights Revolution in Canada.) While discrimination against LGBTQ2 people persists in many places, major strides toward mainstream social acceptance and formal legal equality have been made in recent decades, from same-sex marriage and health care to spousal benefits and the right to adopt.