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Beyond discrimination: Uplifting queer and trans youth through community care

  • Writer: See Different
    See Different
  • Jul 31
  • 3 min read

Updated: Aug 7

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2SLGBTQIA+* youth across Canada are powerful, creative, and full of potential. They are community builders, leaders, and Changemakers. Yet many continue to navigate systemic barriers rooted in discrimination and exclusion. These challenges — including housing instability, inequitable mental health outcomes, and increased exposure to violence — are not reflections of who these young people are, but of the systems that were never built with them in mind.


Even amid rising anti-trans and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric and policy, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth continue to show strength, vision, and solidarity. This blog explores the realities they face, while emphasizing how collective action, no matter how small, can make a tangible difference. When we channel our resources, energy, and influence toward meaningful support and systemic change, we create the conditions for youth to thrive.


Housing and belonging:

Addressing youth homelessness


2SLGBTQIA+ youth deserve safe, stable, and affirming places to call home. According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 1 in 3 homeless youth in Canada identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+. For many queer and trans youth, housing insecurity is directly linked to rejection or lack of acceptance after coming out (Source). 


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Organizations like Phoenix Youth Shelter in Halifax report that 30-40% of youth accessing their services are members of the queer community, and their teams work tirelessly to meet this growing need. As shelter manager Janel Comeau shares, "Until there's a place for youth to transition to, unfortunately we're not going to see change at the shelter. The biggest challenge is always, for us, what's next? What's available for youth? For queer youth especially.”

Across the country, community organizations are stepping up to fill these gaps, offering not only shelter, but belonging.

Resources:


Mental health and community care


2SLGBTQIA+ youth are navigating a world that often tells them they don’t belong—at home, in schools, and in public spaces. But when they are embraced and affirmed, the possibilities are endless.


A 2024 study by Statistics Canada found that 27% of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth aged 15–24 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, compared to 11% of their cisgender, heterosexual peers. These disparities are not inevitable. Research shows that acceptance, inclusion, and affirming relationships can significantly reduce mental health risks and increase well-being.


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Youth-led networks, peer helplines, and affirming spaces are opening powerful pathways for healing and connection. These spaces remind us that support works. Healing happens when youth are seen, heard, and supported.


Resources:


Creating safer spaces and stronger communities


Safety is a right, not a privilege. All youth deserve to feel safe at school, online, and in their communities. And yet, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth continue to face harassment, hate, and violence at disproportionately high rates. (Source). Harassment in hallways, targeted online abuse, physical threats, and the constant risk of being “outed” without consent — these are forms of violence that have lasting effects on young people’s mental health.


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In response, community organizations are stepping up to create safer and more affirming environments for queer and trans youth. Rather than centering fear, we can focus on the incredible work being done, like The Triangle Program in Toronto — Canada’s only 2SLGBTQ+ alternative education setting —  which offers youth a space to learn, grow, and thrive on their own terms.


We can build on these models by advocating for inclusive school policies, challenging harmful narratives, and amplifying the voices of young people who are already leading change. 


Safety is not only about protection from harm, it is about the freedom to show up fully as yourself, to feel seen and valued, and to experience joy without fear. When 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are safe, they are free to imagine, create, and thrive. That kind of safety benefits everyone, and it’s within our collective power to build it.


Resources:

Hope, action, and collective care


2SLGBTQIA+ youth are not problems to be solved. They are visionaries, community leaders, and vital members of our society. Despite the barriers, they continue to organize, uplift one another, and reimagine what safer, more inclusive futures can look like.


We encourage you to explore and share the resources listed here. Use your voice, your platform, or your networks —whatever is in your sphere of influence — to help shift systems and uplift youth in your community.


Together, we can create a future where 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are not only surviving. They are leading, thriving, and shaping a better world for us all.



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