On April 28, 2022, the Washington Post quoted OutRight’s Senior Director of Law, Policy and Research, Neela Ghoshal, on the 2021 Canada Census data which found that 1 in 300 Canadians 15 and up identity as transgender or nonbinary. The 2021 Canada Census asked participants separate questions regarding their sex “at birth” and genderThis new data offers a clear snapshot into the gender identity of Canadians on a national level. Canada’s national statistics agency documented a sharp divide by age, as younger generations were three to seven times more likely to identify as transgender or nonbinary compared to older ones. The census also recorded that for Canadians ages 15 and older, 59,460 identified as transgender and 41,355 identified as non-binary. When asked about these new census statistics, Ghoshal exclaims that they provided “formal recognition to the idea that sex and gender are two different things.” In regard to the impact of the cencus results, Ghoshal states that she hopes other governments will adopt similar policies that recognize the increasing number of people who see gender as “somewhat fluid or don’t feel like they fit into a binary identification.”
To read the full article from the Washington Post, click here.