Vulnerabilities related to COVID-19 among LGBTQ2+ Canadians

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) identified those facing economic barriers, and those with insecure, inadequate or nonexistent housing as particularly vulnerable populations during the pandemic (PHAC 2020a). Measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 bring a unique set of challenges to LGBTQ2+ Canadians - that is, Canadians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit or report another non-binary gender or minority sexual identity (see Terminology box). For instance, LGBTQ2+ youth may be forced to isolate at home with homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic family members (PHAC 2020b), and alternative housing options may not be available or affordable. Although there is no major dataset yet available to illuminate the experiences of LGBTQ2+ Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article explores the inequalities in income, financial security and housing insecurity between LGBTQ2+ and non-LGBTQ2+ Canadians that existed prior to the pandemic using data from the 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces. These vulnerabilities could be exacerbated with additional stressors brought on by the pandemic.

Publication Date: 
2020
Publisher(s): 
Statistics Canada
Location: 
Canada