Recent news shows that prejudice and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ + community are still very much present. This Wednesday marks the 20th International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Quebec, and for the occasion, Fondation Émergence is launching an awareness campaign focused on irrational fears.
Nanopabulophobia — the phobia of garden gnomes with wheelbarrows — gallinophobia, that is to say the fear of chickens, or even carpophobia, the fear of fruit: colorful posters displaying wacky images aim to capture the attention of passers-by across the province.
“In science, a phobia is an irrational conception of a danger that has no place to be,” explains Laurent Breault, director general of the foundation. Being afraid of getting peanut butter stuck on the palate. Homophobia and transphobia are all irrational fears, except that the latter two have impacts on the communities they target. »
This rather humorous campaign, with a retro look to illustrate that sexual discrimination is “a thing of the past”, contrasts with the organization’s previous ones, which were darker.
“Before, we had the objective of breaking the kind of bubble that everything is fine, that there are no more problems, while there is still violence against people from the LGBTQ2 + community”, points out Mr. Breault.
“This time, we chose a different tone to target silent allies, people who support the LGBTQ2 + cause and who don’t necessarily know how to express their support,” he continues.
One day still needed
It is in Quebec and thanks to the founder of the Fondation Émergence, Laurent McCutcheon, that the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia was born, recalls Laurent Breault.
Since then, the initiative has been taken up by more than a hundred countries around the world.
Twenty years later, such an awareness day is unfortunately still necessary, deplores the director general.
“In twenty years, there have been many achievements, he notes. I am thinking, among other things, of civil unions and marriages between same-sex spouses, the integration of gender identity and expression as grounds for discrimination, the prohibition of conversion therapy… But despite these advances at the political level , it is at the social level that there is still a long way to go. There are still a lot of prejudices. »
The foundation had a study carried out by the firm Léger last February with 1,539 Canadians. We learn that 42% of respondents say they are indifferent to the cause of LGBTQ2 + communities or do not understand its importance. What’s more, 32% of Quebec respondents would be uncomfortable seeing two men kissing.
“We would have thought that there would be greater support for the cause, deplores Mr. Breault. But it’s an opportunity to educate these people and make them allies. »
The survey also showed that transphobia and homophobia have been transported widely on social networks, where 52% of LGBTQ2 + young people say they have been bullied, sometimes to the point of having suicidal thoughts.
Finally, 52% of LGBTQ2 + people would not display their sexual orientation or identity at work, for fear of being discriminated against, excluded or the target of ridicule, indicates a survey by the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation, which aims to raise awareness. Quebecers to the violence experienced by members of sexual diversity.
“You might think that workplaces are safe and inclusive zones, but that doesn’t seem to be the case,” says Mr. Breault.
Despite everything, Quebec is still a safer and more open place for LGBTQ2 + communities, unlike many countries in the world, including 14 in the Francophonie, where being homosexual or trans is either criminal or punishable by the death penalty, puts the general manager into perspective.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.