Though they say they feel comfortable with homosexuality, most Canadians have a poor understanding of gay and lesbian issues

On the sixth edition of the International Day Against Homophobia, Fondation Émergence has revealed the results from a Léger Marketing survey on Canadians’ perceptions concerning homosexuality.

Definition of homophobia

An amazing fact: in a choice of answers for the definition of homophobia (is homophobia an illness, does it mean the same as “homosexuality” or is it a form of discrimination?) only 54% of people answered that it was a form of discrimination.

Homosexuality and illness

The results from the survey carried out for the 2008 Campaign entitled Homosexuality is NOT an sickness! show that Canadians’ acknowledging of homosexuality is steadily improving. For example, 70% of those surveyed said they felt comfortable with homosexuality, 77% believe that being gay or lesbian is not an illness, and 76% think that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. The survey shows that, overall, women and younger people hold a more positive attitude toward homosexuality than men and older people do, and that Québec residents display a more open attitude toward gay and lesbian issues than Canadians in the rest of Canada do.

A few contradictions

The survey analysis provides a glimpse of a few contradictions. Whereas 77 % of Canadians feel that being gay or lesbian is neither an illness nor a mental disorder, 30 % (almost one-third) believe that there are treatments or “cures” available for people who wish to change their sexual orientation. In addition, only 57% think that mental health specialists should help gay men and lesbians come to terms with their sexual orientation. Even more surprising is the answer concerning whether it is important for a person to reveal their sexual orientation to their psychologist: almost 53% of respondents think it’s important to do it.

Training for healthcare professionals and workers

79% of those surveyed believe that healthcare professionals and workers should have training on gay and lesbian issues. While this answer may seem logical for the vast majority of the population, the reality however is quite different: few professionals and workers in the healthcare field receive training on such issues.

The survey was conducted between April 2 and 9, 2008, among 1,501 Canadian men and women over the age of 18. It has a margin of error of ±2.6%, 19 times out of 20. The survey does not take into account respondents’ sexual orientations.