Four in ten people from sexual and gender diverse backgrounds have had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months, almost four times more than the general population.
“It is absolutely crucial to take action without delay; we are clearly talking about a life-or-death situation here,” said Jasmin Roy, president of the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation, as he released a vast pan-Canadian survey conducted by CROP on Tuesday. “Such suicidal thoughts are directly linked to the physical or psychological violence suffered by young people of sexual and gender diversity, violence that our study highlights. Our survey […] highlights the extent to which the various levels of government must react to respond to this call for help. Young lives are at stake.”
The Foundation is very concerned about the answers to mental health questions, noting that a large majority (60%) of people from sexual and gender diversity assess their mental health negatively, while 58% consider the support resources available to them to be insufficient.
From single to double
In general, the proportion of people from diverse backgrounds struggling with these difficulties, when compared to the general population, “is double and that is very worrying,” says Mr. Roy.
For example, people from diverse backgrounds are twice as likely to have been diagnosed with depression (49% versus 26% of the general population) or anxiety disorder (48% versus 26%). The same is true for addiction problems and eating disorders.
However, since the weaknesses of the health network in terms of mental health are well known and documented, it is not surprising to hear the president of the Foundation deplore that “what stands out most this year in this major study is the problem of support, the cry for help to have much more support.”
More affected by violence
These findings can also be compared with the fact that people from sexual and gender diverse backgrounds report experiencing more violence, bullying and discrimination – particularly young people and trans or non-binary people – than the general population.
The numbers are staggering: in the past 12 months, 23% of the general population in Canada has experienced violence, while for people of sexual and gender diversity, this figure rises to 46%. When we broaden the question, 69% of the Canadian population has experienced some form of violence or discrimination during their entire life, a figure that rises to 89% for people of diversity.
The workplace and schools are places to monitor more closely with regard to violence and discrimination, according to the authors of the investigation report, who note that increased sex education courses are supported by both the general population and people from diverse backgrounds.
“Trans and non-binary people do not feel very welcome in educational settings. Only 15% of young people say they were welcomed in the educational environment when they spoke about their questioning, acceptance or affirmation of their gender identity. There is in-depth work to be done here,” says Jasmin Roy.
A more open society
The picture is not all gloomy, however. While the same survey conducted in 2017 already showed a Canadian society that was comfortable being around people of diverse sexual orientations, the 2024 version shows an even greater degree of openness. For example, the proportion of people who say they are comfortable being around people of diverse gender identities has increased from 60% in 2017 to 66% in 2024.
However, perceptions of acceptance and integration of diversity within society are not the same depending on whether one is part of it or not. For example, a small majority of 51% of the Canadian population believes that the situation has improved in recent years and only 14% believe that things have deteriorated. Conversely, among people from sexual and gender diversity, 39% see an improvement, but the same proportion, 39%, sees rather a deterioration.
Another piece of data that allows us to assess acceptance and integration in a different light comes from immigrants: among people from diverse backgrounds who said they were not born in Canada, two-thirds (67%) believe that coming to the country allowed them to express their gender identity and/or sexual orientation more freely.
The CROP survey was conducted between February 5 and June 11 among 1,000 Canadians aged 18 and over, as well as 7,481 Canadians aged 15 and over from sexual and gender diverse backgrounds. In this latter sample, 1,309 respondents identified as trans and 1,625 as non-binary. Interestingly, 8.6% of people aged 18 and over identify as sexual and gender diverse, but this proportion is almost twice as high among those aged 18 to 34 (16.5%).