Quebec schools seeing increase in intolerance towards 2SLGBTQ+ people
Posted February 9, 2025 3:15 pm.
Last Updated February 9, 2025 5:37 pm.
Intolerance towards 2SLGBTQ+ people has been significantly increasing in Quebec schools. That’s according to advocacy group GRIS-Montréal, which conducted a study with 35,000 high school students in the province.
They found the number of students who said they would be uncomfortable to learn their best friend’s sexuality doubled between 2018 and 2024.
READ MORE: Intolerance towards 2SLGBTQ+ people is increasing in Quebec schools: study
“Now it’s like, nearly 40 per cent of [high school aged students] are feeling uncomfortable to learn that their best friend is gay,” said Marie Houzeau, executive director of GRIS-Montréal.
Houzeau said the results were “pretty concerning” and went on to give an example of a comment she read from a “young male” in on of the questionnaires: “If you want to know what I think about homosexuality, just ask Andrew Tate.”
“That gives you an idea of where and what are their influences,” she said.
According to Houzeau, youth are getting much of their information from social media where algorithms create an echo-chamber effect and “they hear the same thing every time they look for information.”
David Hawkins is the executive director of the West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre.
“There are more people identifying that their LGBTQ club or their small group of friends is like the only place they feel safe to be themselves and I think that that’s very deeply alarming,” said Hawkins.
The study also found that the level of discomfort doubled for youth when asked if same-sex couples should be allowed to found a family.
Mona Greenbaum, executive co-director of Montreal’s LGBT+ Family Coalition, says “the attitudes are very scary.”
“What some of these statistics are showing is that sometimes grandparents are even more progressive than young people are,” she said. “It’s the first time in my life, and I’m 60-years-old, that I’ve seen this type of regression.”
The government must have “an active role in supporting teachers and to help them address these issues,” said Greenbaum. “If we don’t have any funding, we can’t train the number of people that we try to train and who want to be trained.”
Lani Trilène is a coordinator at the LGBT+ Family Coalition. Her family consists of four moms and nine-year-old twins. One of their children is non-binary.
“Some people have said to my kids, ‘Oh, you’re going to go to hell because of your family,'” said Trilène.
“It’s hard… every day when I bring my kids to school, it’s like, what’s going to happen today? Who’s going to say something to them?” said Trilène. “If you take the time to see what we do as a family, you’re going to realize that our kids are pretty much the same as yours.”
The study did not specifically ask about tolerance towards transgender people, but Victoria Legault, the executive director of Aide aux Trans du Quebec, said she’s worried about the polarization of youth regarding gender identity.
“We have some youth that tells us that, the climate is a very, it’s very difficult in their schools, when they start to transition,” explained Legault. “They experience a lot of bullying.”
“When they don’t have health services they are way more at risk to commit suicide,” said Legault. “We are not even talking about accessing hormone replacement therapy or medical transition, we are only talking about psychological support.”
Felipe Mendez grew up in Colombia and now works with 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Montreal.
He recalled coming out, saying, “many of my friends [rejected me]. They didn’t support me… it was very tough for me.”
The words of his friend lent invaluable support during a tumultuous time, putting it into her words: “‘Love is too wonderful to put in a closet, so just be yourself.’”
