Yukon Government hears feedback on 2SLGBTQ plan

The Yukon government has published community feedback on its LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer Two-Spirit) action plan. The survey is the result of the first of two check-ins that YG has committed to as part of its LGBTQS2S+ Action Plan, released in 2021. The online survey was done in 2023, and it was open to Yukon residents who identified as members or allies of the 2SLGBTQ (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community in the Yukon. The study was only open to Yukoners who self-identified as a member or ally of the 2SLGBTQ community. Overall, 267 out of 302 respondents were eligible: 165 respondents identified as members of the 2SLGBTQ community whereas 102 identified as allies. Respondents were asked for their thoughts on key government initiatives that were part of the plan. Most respondents — 65 per cent — agreed that banning conversion therapy was beneficial. The largely discredited practice claims to “convert” 2SLGBTQ people to be straight and cisgender. Conversion therapy was banned in the Yukon in 2020 and made illegal nationwide in 2021. The Canadian Psychological Association has publicly opposed the practice due to its lacking credibility and harmfulness. Over 70 per cent of respondents who identified as being part of the 2SLGBTQ community said the ban was beneficial; 55.9 per cent of self-identified allies said the ban was beneficial. However, 11.7 per cent of allies said the ban was not beneficial, as did 9.7 per cent of 2SLGBTQ respondents. The remainder said they were neutral or unaware of the ban. The expansion and coverage of gender-affirming care in the territorial was beneficial, according to 76.4 per cent of 2SLGBTQ respondents. Just over half — 55.9 per cent — of allies agreed; 24.5 per cent of allies said that they disagreed that the expansion and coverage of gender-affirming care benefited their lives or the lives of someone they cared about, as did 11.5 of 2SLGBTQ respondents. In response to questions from the News, the Yukon government said that while the Yukon Bureau of Statistics — who did the survey — cannot confirm respondent intent or detect bad-faith participation, they do have a “robust system to identify potential response abuse.” The response also noted that respondents were encouraged to rate their level of agreement based on a fixed scale. The method captures opinions but do not necessarily provide insights into the underlying reasons behind those opinions. Responses of disagreement to questions about whether initiatives would “benefit my life, or the life of someone I care about” could simply mean the respondent doesn’t require the initiative in question. Elsewhere in the survey, an area of concern for most respondents was healthcare. Among the 2SLGBTQ respondents, 46.7 per cent said they had witnessed or heard of a loved on facing barriers in accessing inclusive and supportive health care in the Yukon. The number for allies was 19.6 per cent. Per the report, respondents cited the inadequacy of general health services in the territory, the lack of family doctors, and the lack of appropriately-trained or inclusive health professionals. Issues listed by respondents included being misgendered, or having issues accessing gender-affirming and transgender-inclusive care, as well as bigotry, heteronormative assumptions, and barriers to adequate mental health services. However, 41.2 per cent of 2SLGBTQ respondents said that healthcare providers in the territory have become more inclusive in the past two years, or since respondents have been in the territory if less than two years. 14.5 of respondents disagreed. Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com