The Journey to LGBTQ+ Rights

Imagine living in a world where you get imprisoned or deemed psychotic just for loving someone. Imagine living in a world where you love someone and you want to get married to them but you are told you are not able to. Sadly this is a reality for LGBTQ+ people living in the 39% of countries where homosexuality is illegal or 85% of countries who haven’t legalized same-sex marriage. Identifying as LGBTQ+ can be very difficult for anyone no matter how old they are; but, how society is now does not compare to what LGBTQ+ people went through in history. Gay people were being imprisoned and deemed as dangerous sex offenders only 52 years ago in Canada and same-sex marriage was illegal until 2005. LGBTQ+ youth should be very thankful for everything the older generations of LGBTQ+ people throughout history fought for to give them an easier, safer life.

The Journey to LGBTQ+ Rights

Sara Cole

Grade 10

The Bishop Strachan School
Toronto, Ontario

My favourite part of Canadian history is learning about different social justice issues.

Related Essays

  • The Ballad of the Chinese Workers

    The Ballad of the Chinese Workers

    Baapooh Chung

    Burnaby, British Columbia

    I feel injustice over what happened during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway since I am of Chinese heritage myself.

  • The Shadow of Racism In Canadian History

    The Shadow of Racism In Canadian History

    Ella Nugent

    Mississauga, Ontario

    I think it is important to shine light on the shadows in every nation's history, as it helps make sense of why we are the way we are today.

 
View all essays