For decades, the queer and trans community has advocated tirelessly for legal, political and social equality. In North America, LGBTQ2-identified people have come a far distance from the of 1969. It is widely believed that these events mobilized modern advocacy for LGBTQ2 rights in the United States and around the world.
1973, when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a classified mental illness.
More recently, a 2017 public opinion poll in Canada indicated that 74% of Canadians are in favour of same-sex marriage.
Current advancements in equality for LGBTQ2 people have also been seen in significant legal decisions in both Canada and the United States. As examples, the United States’ Supreme Court ruled the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. In 2017, the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-16, providing legal protection against discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
Yet, this legal and social progress is not linear, nor is it consistent across the world.
For example, in January 2019, the United States’ Supreme Court reinstated a ban of trans-identified people joining and serving in the military under the Trump administration, initially repealed under the Obama administration. Outside of North America, currently 10 countries uphold a death penalty for homosexuality. This includes Brunei, which enacted a death penalty by stoning in April 2019.
