Decline in Canadian acceptance of gender diversity
Gender diverse students and faculty shared their insights and experiences on Statistics Canada report
Canadians are becoming less accepting of gender diversity; how have those affected perceived this change?
A study by Statistics Canada demonstrated that although Canadians have largely held more progressive attitudes regarding gender-based violence, fewer participants in 2025 than in 2018 agreed that individuals should be able to express their identity however they want. In 2018, 85 per cent agreed with this, compared with 77 per cent in 2025.
While women reported being more accepting than men in both data sets, acceptance declined for both genders.
Those surveyed in 2018 were more likely to accept a family member coming out as transgender than those surveyed in 2025, with a decline from 80 per cent to 77 per cent. This shift coincides with several provinces limiting the rights of transgender and nonbinary people, demonstrating the real-life consequences of these policies in the lives of gender diverse Canadians. This is manifested in an increase in hate crimes.
Concordia University student Zevida Germain shared their experience as a nonbinary person in recent years. Germain said attitudes toward nonbinary people have shifted in recent years, affecting how comfortable people feel identifying as part of the community.
“It’s definitely viewed as more of a silly thing, instead of a serious thing like it [once] was. There was a point where everyone was non-binary,” Germain said.
They also mentioned feeling like people make assumptions about them that affect how they see themselves.
“I often wish I was cis in either direction, because I feel like I would be taken more seriously because it's hard to be taken seriously in many aspects when you're non-binary, but I'm non-binary," Germain said.
They commented that there's nothing they can do about it.
"You’re kind of viewed as super woke or whatever. And I'm fine with that, I am, but I'm almost viewed like I'm going to be really sensitive, etc. I just want to be taken more seriously. That's the main thing,” Germain said.
They also noted concerns about the current trajectory of acceptance and the context in which they express their gender and perceive the future as bleak if the atmosphere stays the same.
“I really [worry] about medically transitioning even more, and becoming even more visibly non-binary, simply because I want to be able to have a job, and I want to be able to in the future. So I do worry about that right now,” Germain shared.
Despite the societal decline in acceptance, Germain remains confident in their gender identity within a less accepting context than they originally came out in.
“Ten years ago, we were sort of in an upswing of feeling like, okay, at least there was a moment where it felt visibly and viscerally getting better. I think that [transphobic] mobilization that’s been taking place primarily south of the border but also in Canada has had a huge impact.” — Kimberley Manning, Concordia Womens Studies Professor
Concordia womens studies professor Kimberley Manning shared her insights on the report and its context. Manning said that the community she works with felt almost a sense of betrayal.
“We thought we could count on our community. It was like suddenly the world got smaller,” Manning said.
Manning attributed part of Canada’s recession in acceptance of transgender rights to how much the public is influenced by media, particularly American social media. She noted that it doesn't take much to know that Canadians are part of a social media landscape shared with their neighbours south of the border.
Manning works adjacent to transgender communities, and noticed a gradual decrease in acceptance.
“Ten years ago, we were sort of in an upswing of feeling like, okay, at least there was a moment where it felt visibly and viscerally getting better,” Manning said. “I think that [transphobic] mobilization that's been taking place primarily south of the border but also in Canada has had a huge impact.”
She also highlighted the continued effort of transgender activists and allies.
“It's important to remember that Canada is still seen as one of the few places in the world in which there is a degree of acceptance of gender diversity," Manning said. "That is unheard of in many other parts of the world, in particular with the relationship to policy and some of the really good work that's happened."
She said there are still aspects to stay positive about.
"There's been incredible work done by trans advocates and activists and scholars who are building communities,” Manning said.
Concordia women's studies professor Natalie Kouri-Towe also shared her insights regarding the report and attributed much of the increased hateful discourse to sensational social media algorithms, citing hoaxes such as the rumour that there were litter boxes in Canadian schools.
“These forms of misinformation spread widely on social media and were weaponized to try and mobilize people to join increasingly far-right, political ideological movements or platforms that use gender inclusion and gender diversity as a wedge to drive into popular discourse, policy development or platforms in Canada to advance more repressive and restrictive political goals,” Kouri-Towe said.
She noted that the public often uses this issue to condemn government policy.
“I think that for the most part, gender inclusion is wielded as a tool for people to criticize government policy that they don't agree with or to express their disdain over or their dissatisfaction with how access to resources [has] functioned,” Kouri-Towe said.
In terms of working to fix the shift in acceptance, Manning highlighted the importance of education in this discussion.
“I think that an important part of this picture is to not simply dismiss people who hold or repeat misinformation around gender diversity as bigots or as hateful people," Manning said. "A lot of those people don't realize the ways that they're being pulled into false narratives because somebody gives them an answer to a question that has plagued them.”
