When you think of Canada, you might think they have it all sorted out.

They have had same-sex marriage nationwide for nearly 10 years, anti-discrimination laws for an incredible 14 years and is often described as one of the best places to be LGBTI in the world.

But there is still work to be done as Helen Kennedy, executive director of equality charity Egale, reveals.

Homophobia in schools is on the rise, and there are those who want the rights of trans people to be stripped. We spoke to Kennedy to find out more:

What is the scale of homophobia like in Canada?

In 2011, the statistics revealed that hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation increased by 10%, which represents 18% of all the hate crimes.

We also know that the hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation are the most violent of any of the hate crimes that occur in Canada.

How does this compare to other countries?

People think that being gay in Canada is all rosy, and compared to some jurisdictions, it is, but not for everybody – if you’re two-spirit, black or brown, you have huge issues and problems, the same way you have in the UK – there are a lot of similarities between the UK and Canada.

What is the level of this homophobia in your schools?

In terms of education through our school system, our LGBTQI2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and two-spirits) young people face high levels of discrimination in school.

We did a survey of high schools in Canada and 70% of participating students reported hearing homophobic comments every day and 74% of trans people had been verbally harassed about their gender expression.

One in five (11%) of the LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

What can be done to reduce homophobia in schools?

There needs to be greater awareness, whether it be through the school guidance counselor or through the social workers.

We need to do more awareness for parents, we need to do greater education as to what our LGBTIQ2S kids are going through in school on a daily basis, and research into the extent of homophobic bullying.

We need to be a lot more proactive in changing curriculums so our LGBTQ kids can see themselves and their families reflected in their learning.

Why is this important?

School would become a lot more welcoming place for our youth, and you have to remember that in many cases, the youth may be experiencing homophobia at home, and sometimes school is the only place where they can go for a reprieve.

So if they’re not getting that safe space created in school, and they’re not getting it at home, where are they going to go?

We’ve spoken a lot about homophobia in schools, but where else do you see high levels of discrimination?

It’s still very prevalent for adults in their professional lives; you know, questions asked are; is it safe to come out at work? What is the response going to be? If you look at our seniors, they are facing issues around homophobia in long-term care facilities in their adult years.

You talk about homophobia elsewhere, so how accepted are LGBTI people in the general community?

When we were in the height of marriage, there were high rates of acceptance for same-sex marriage in Canada.

Now, there is that attitude ‘Oh well, we gave them marriage, now what do they want?’ There’s that lack of real understanding by the general population of what it actually means to be LGBT in a society where you’re still on the fringe and you’re still marginalised.

But we have a lot of work to do, and you cannot measure LGBT equality rights based on marriage legislation.

And what about trans people, how much acceptance are they given?

In Canada today, we still do not have protection for trans people under the human rights code or through the criminal code.

Trans people don’t have access to healthcare, and they are economically disadvantaged. The realities are far different from the legislation we currently have [to protect trans people].

Is it difficult to come out in Canada?

Yes – but this could be improved through changes in the education system, to having more role models come out in politics for example, making it more acceptable. You can count on one hand how many politicians on federal level are actually out.

What does Egale plan to do?

We still need to change the whole culture around acceptance of LGBT people. We are working with coroner’s to establish whether being queer is a contributing factor to youth suicide and researching levels of homophobia in other areas of our nation.

Did you miss our first two ‘What Is It Like’ features on Bulgaria and Norway? Check them out here and here.

Come back next week on 12 May when we find out ‘What is it like to be LGBTI in… Denmark?’

Would you like us to look into the LGBTI situation in a country or US state of your choice? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment below!