Statistics Canada Article on Victimization of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article entitled Violent victimization of lesbians, gays and bisexuals in Canada, 2014:

"Using self‑reported data from the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety (Victimization), this Juristat article presents information on violent victimization—incidents of sexual assault, robbery and physical assault—committed against lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals aged 18 years and older in Canada, along with their individual experiences of discrimination. Perceptions of the police and feelings of personal safety are also explored. Where possible, analysis of data collected in the 2004 and 2009 GSS on Victimization cycles is included to allow for comparisons over time."

Highlights:

• Canadians aged 18 years and older who identified as lesbian or gay and bisexual were much more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to be victims of violent crime.
• Even after controlling for other factors such as age, marital status, past history of homelessness, and childhood abuse, the odds of being a victim of violent victimization were two times higher among lesbian, gay or bisexual Canadians than among their heterosexual counterparts.
• Compared with heterosexual Canadians, bisexual individuals were almost nine times more likely to be sexually assaulted in the previous 12 months.
• The rate of self‑reported violent victimization of lesbian and gay individuals decreased by 67% between 2009 and 2014. This is compared to a decrease of 30% for heterosexual individuals.
• Among those who reported experiencing discrimination in the five years preceding the survey, lesbian and gay individuals were significantly more likely (79%) than their bisexual (35%) and heterosexual (2%) counterparts to perceive the discrimination as being based on their sexual orientation.