Canadian Human Rights Essay 3

Canadian LGBT Rights

Only the fourth in the world to allow and legalize same-sex marriages the Canada is perhaps among the most progressive in terms of upholding LGBT rights . However , despite the gains of the Canadian LGBT community struggle for political and legal recognition of LGBT rights , the continued dominance of heterosexist norms threaten to undermine these achievements

Indeed , heterosexism or the belief that heterosexuality is superior to any other form of sexual orientation (Duncan , et . al , 2000 ,

. 2 remains pervasive as ever . The dominance of heterosexist norms fuel the

br assumption that everyone is heterosexual unless otherwise indicated (Duncan , et . al , 2000 ,

. 2 ) which ultimately lead to the invalidation of the lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transexual (LGBT ) identities Heterosexism effectively denies the reality of LGBT experiences or reduces them as inferior to the reality of the heterosexual . At its worst , intolerance for the existence of identities and realities outside the constructions of heterosexuality justifies violence and prejudice against the LGBT for their perceived abnormality ' or unnatural quality . Thus , these norms also reinforce sexual discrimination and the systematic denial of equal rights to members of LGBT communities . The impact of heterosexism is shown in Nancy Nicol 's (2002 ) Stand Together ' which documents the experiences of the gay liberation movement in Canada during the harshest times when homosexual acts between two consenting adults was considered a criminal offense to the mass arrest of 268 men caught in police raids on gay baths in 1981

Thus , LGBT communities have been involved in a long and arduous struggle for sexual equality . This struggle , with its main goal of ending heterosexism , has been characterized by mobilization of LGBT communities and supporters in advocacy and in direct action aimed at effecting political and legal reforms to acknowledge the rights of LGBT In Canada , among the most notable achievements of the LGBT movement has been the Ontario Human Right Code reform in 1986 which prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation . This was followed by the 2002 decision of the Quebec National Assembly to extend equal parenting rights to individuals in same-sex relationships under the Civil Union Bill . Undoubtedly , the biggest triumph is the passage and enactment of Bill C-38 or the Civil Marriage Act in 2005 which legalized same-sex marriages . The pressure for progressive legislation on the government however , came after numerous courts ruled favorably to a number of same-sex couples ' applications for marriage licenses . The precedent of these rulings was the M .v .H case in 1999 where the Supreme Court of Canada declared that same-sex couples were entitled to the financial and legal benefits associated with marriage . The legalization of same-sex marriage was a big step for the LGBT community , not only because it granted the same benefits and responsibilities as traditional opposite-sex couples (CBC News , 2005 ) but it also changed the very definition of marriage to include LGBT unions . For identities that have for a long time , been ignored or regarded as abnormal or unnatural , most LGBT hoped that their recognition in...