BOOKS

PRIDE From puppies to poetry, readers can celebrate by Nicole Magas

It’s time to break out your rainbows and celebrate—Pride is here again! Whether you’re out and proud, cheering from the sidelines as an ally, or living anywhere in between, Pride is the time to reaffirm the value and wonderful diversity of the LGBTQ2+ community. As part of our celebration, we’ve compiled a list of LGBTQ2+friendly books from B.C. publishers and authors, curated for all ages and interests, so that our readers can celebrate Pride along with us.

FOR THE KIDS Explore themes of inclusion and diversity with these nuanced, kidfriendly books that introduce children to the celebration of Pride, gender diversity, and more. Ages 3-5: Pride Puppy! by Robin Stevenson (Orca Book Publishers) Ages 6–8: Riley Can’t Stop Crying by Stéphanie Boulay (Orca Book Publishers) Age 10: Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words edited by Dr. Lindsay Herriot, Kate Fry (Orca Book Publishers) Ages 9–12: Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson (Orca Book Publishers)

FOR THE YOUNG ADULTS Diving into stories of struggle, acceptance and resistance, these young-adult titles address some of the biggest issues facing LGBTQ2+ youth today and provide an often much-needed reassurance that they are not alone. Green Glass Ghosts by Rae Spoon (Arsenal Pulp Press) Am I Safe Here?: LGBTQ Teens and Bullying in Schools By Donn Short (UBC Press) Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose (Arsenal Pulp Press)

FOR THE ESSAYISTS Sometimes what is needed is a deep dive into a short essay. Pulling from a range of topics and diverse voices, these essays explore intersecting LGBTQ2+ experiences and provide pivotal dissections and critiques of mainstream culture. Radiant Voices: 21 Feminist Essays for Rising Up Inspired by EMMA Talks compiled by Carla Bergman (TouchWood Editions) Breaking Boundaries: LGBTQ2 Writers On Coming Out and Into Canada edited by Lori Shywdky (Rebel Mountain Press) A Family by Any Other Name: Exploring Queer Relationships edited by Bruce Gillespie (TouchWood Editions)

FOR LOVERS OF MEMOIR Nothing beats a good life story to understand the nuances of different lived experiences. These memoirs unpack the sometimes difficult, sometimes triumphant journey of self-discovery within queer and trans identities. Out of the Woods: Nature, Sexuality, and Faith in the Forest by Luke Turner (Greystone Books) This One Looks Like a Boy: My Gender Journey to Life As a Man by Lorimer Shenher (Greystone Books) Small Courage: A Queer Memoir of Finding Love and Conceiving Family by Jane Byers (Caitlin Press & Dagger Editions)

FOR THE ARTS CROWD From theatre to poetry to lovely prose fiction, LGBTQ2+ stories abound in the arts. Why not try one of these reads this month and dip into the beauty, the glamour, and the pathos of LGBTQ2+ arts? How to Fail As a Popstar by Vivek Shraya (Arsenal Pulp Press) it was never going to be okay by jaye simpson (Nightwood Editions) The Fifth: A Love(s) Story by MP Boisvert (Caitlin Press & Dagger Editions) g

This article originally appeared on ReadLocalBC.ca, which was launched in 2015 by the Association of Book Publishers of B.C.

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Canada is a world leader in accepting sexual diversity

by Carlito Pablo

Canada prides itself as the most LGBT-friendly country in the world.

A statistical portrait provides a look into the country’s sexually and gender-diverse communities. Most notable is that the LGBT population is about one million strong.

A recent report by Statistics Canada states that this community accounts for four percent of the total population aged 15 and older in 2018.

The federal agency used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey in 2015 and 2018 to draw a portrait.

Bisexual women number the most, with 332,000. Gay men follow, with 255,100. Bisexual men come next, with 161,200. (This means that bisexual women outnumber bisexual men two to one.) Women who are “gay or lesbian” number 150,600.

Citing the 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, Statistics Canada reported that there are approximately 75,000 Canadians who are transgender or nonbinary. Moreover, transgender or nonbinary persons represent 0.24 percent of the Canadian population aged 15 and older. Furthermore, youth aged 15 to 24 comprised about a third (30 percent) of the LGBT population in 2018, compared with 14 percent of the non-LGBT population.

At the other end of the population spectrum, seven percent of LGBT Canadians were aged 65 or older, compared with 21 percent of non-LGBT Canadians.

Statistics Canada also reported that the number of same-sex couples in Canada has grown considerably since 2001.

The agency noted that this category increased by 60.7 percent during the decade from 2006 to 2016. It stated that, by comparison, the number of opposite-sex couples increased by 9.6 percent during the same time period.

“This increase may be reflective, at least in part, of growing awareness and acceptance of sexual diversity in Canada,” Statistics Canada reported.

Overall, the agency reported, there were 72,880 same-sex couples in Canada in 2016.

Statistics Canada also noted that about one in eight same-sex couples, or about 12 percent, had children living with them in 2016. Among opposite-sex couples, half had children living with them. g