According to Statistics Canada, Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other sexually or gender diverse (2SLGBTQIA+) people earn less on average than our straight counterparts, despite being more educated. What’s going on here? And what can we do about it?
The answers to these questions, while complex, are certainly possible to achieve. In this post, I’ll walk you through my personal experience as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and my thoughts for how we can work together to improve our working conditions.
A history of social (and employment) inequity.
While Canada is currently among the top five countries1 for the most acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, this hasn’t always been the case. When we look at how discrimination blocked us financially, it makes sense that 2SLGBTQIA+ people still generally earn less than their straight and cis counterparts.2
In the early nineties, I was working as a database integrator in a tech company. I was the only woman in a technical role and felt lucky to have my foot in the door.
I was in my first serious lesbian relationship. I knew it was completely legal at the time to fire me just for being lesbian3, but if I wanted to dispute a potential wrongful termination, I’d need a paper trail proving I was a great employee. So, I didn’t come out at work until after my first written performance review, when I took the calculated risk and told a couple of my work friends.
How activists have fought for progress.
2SLGBTQIA+ activists fought to overturn a lot of barriers, including cases about denial of bereavement leave4 and Old Age Security to widowed same-sex partners.5 We lost at first (in 1993 and 1995), but by 1996, we’d won legal protection under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.5 It wouldn’t be until 2013 that trans people would win the same legal protections.
But changing the laws, while necessary, was only the first step. The subtle social factors in hiring, promotion, and becoming comfortable in our workplaces took longer to shift.
What social inequity can look like.
In 2005, 2SLGBTQIA+ activists won marriage equality in Canada, and I proposed to my girlfriend. In 2006, we got married. While my wife’s family had helped her eight straight siblings buy their homes, they were unwilling to help us. Luckily, my mother co-signed our mortgage, making it possible for us to buy a house.
But many 2SLGBTQIA+ people aren’t as lucky and find themselves shut out from financial support from their families,6 due to their sexual orientation or gender expression.
We also have higher housing costs7 than our straight friends. This could be because many of us feel safer in more expensive urban environments with 2SLGBTQIA+ districts.
Paving our own way forward in the workplace.
By 1999, I’d learned how to respond to homophobic and sexist behaviour at work and had gained enough influence to convince my employer to become an ally member of the Gay and Lesbian Business Association (now called Loud).
At the end of 1999, the tech bubble, which had made room for women in the industry, burst and the company I worked for went under. Tired of the straight male-centered culture of the industry, I founded my own IT consulting firm, specializing in helping non-profit organizations.
“By 1999, I’d learned how to respond to homophobic and sexist behaviour at work and had gained enough influence to convince my employer to become an ally member of the Gay and Lesbian Business Association (now called Loud).”
Entrepreneurship in response to discrimination8 is not unusual among women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. In fact, when employment anti-discrimination legislation is enacted to make it safer for us, fewer 2SLGBTQIA+ people decide to leave paid employment9 for entrepreneurship. Along with more 2SLGBTQIA+ people staying in employment after protections came into effect, the quality of the businesses we start is higher because we can select better opportunities.
While creating workplaces that work for us, there are still often barriers to obtaining funding and support. Recognizing this, the Government of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce provided a 2SLGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurship Program to help address them.
How Vancity’s allyship began.
In 1961, Vancity was the first bank or credit union in Canada to offer mortgages to women, without a man cosigning. To this day, Vancity has high rates of out 2SLGBTQIA+ employees, board members (22%) and senior management (7%). Vancity also offers inclusive employee healthcare benefits including gender-affirming care.
In 2002, Vancity was the first financial institution in Canada to demonstrate their support of our humanity with a big, prominent advertising campaign. Just like walking in the Pride Parade, the ads served as a signal that it was safe to bank at Vancity, and safe to work there. But they lost business including that of the local Catholic diocese, which had previously partnered with Vancity to teach financial literacy in their schools. Despite the backlash, Vancity stood its ground and remained committed to inclusion and serving the community.
In 2002, Vancity was the first financial institution in Canada to demonstrate their support of our humanity with a big, prominent advertising campaign. Just like walking in the Pride Parade, the ads served as a signal that it was safe to bank at Vancity, and safe to work there.
Where we stand today.
Despite the significant expense and effort our communities have provided to fight discrimination in court, 2SLGBTQIA+ people still experience discrimination throughout their lives.
The choice to be “out” limits the jobs we’re offered or can accept. Just as women assess whether a potential employer will hire or promote them and pay them on par with men, 2SLGBTQIA+ people assess which workplaces will hire and promote them.
Even in 2024, many professions still have significant costs and barriers to coming out. This includes performing artists who’ve lost straight audiences and bookings, construction workers fearing workplace “accidents”, and queer and trans teachers hiding their personal lives from students and parents,10 even when they can serve as life-saving role models to queer and trans kids.
Senior positions may require socializing with spouses in environments where having a same-sex spouse is considered ‘bad for business’.11 Even when working in accepting environments now, 2SLGBTQIA+ employees—whose early work life was limited by homophobia or transphobia—might be less far along in their careers at retirement.12 And they may have less to show for it than their equally well-educated straight peers as a result, which is consistent with Statistics Canada data.
Walking the talk in 2024 and beyond.
2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada can now advocate and network openly with organizations like Pride at Work Canada, Loud Business, and Egale. As a result, business communities are often much more intentional in marketing to us and recognizing our skills.
Sincere allies are important. We often comment on the apparent insincerity of many businesses currently marketing to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities during Pride. With acceptance, there’s far less of a risk involved in declaring themselves our allies, so it can be hard to determine who is sincere.
Vancity is different. Vancity walked the talk when it really mattered and Vancity is still supporting the financial progress of people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. We can walk into branches and speak with staff who are visible and proud. We can all be part of the solution.
I’m proud to be a Vancity member since 2006.
Sources
1Social Acceptance of LGBTI People in 175 Countries and Locations – Williams Institute (ucla.edu)
3Sexual Orientation And Legal Rights (publications.gc.ca)
4Canada (Attorney General) v. Mossop – SCC Cases (scc-csc.ca)
5Sexual Orientation And Legal Rights (publications.gc.ca)
6New Study Finds Half of LGBTQ+ Are Estranged From Family | Psychology Today Canada
7Housing experiences in Canada: LGBTQ2+ people in 2018 (statcan.gc.ca)
9Discrimination and entrepreneurship: Evidence from LGBT rights laws | London Business School
10Every-Teacher-Project-Final-Report-WEB.pdf (egale.ca)
