On March 20, 2013, Bill C-279 passed through the House of Commons, reaffirming Canada’s stance as a leader in LGBT rights. 

The bill, which passed by a vote of 149-137, protects transsexual individuals from discrimination in all forms, including in the workplace. The vote included 18 Conservatives, showing human rights in Canada are important enough to, (even if only temporarily), forget party divides.

This comes at a time when people across the world are clashing over LGBT rights:Chinese gays and lesbians are persecuted to the point of marrying one another and conforming to traditional social normas to hide their sexualities by conforming;Uruguay legalizes same-sex marriage in overwhelming landslide votes, making it the 12th country and first Latin American country to allow gay marriage; RussianPresident Putin is banning gay couples from adopting children, following a municipal decision in Moscow to ban Pride parades from the city for 100 years; New Zealandand France become the 13th and 14th nations to legalize gay marriage, causing a rise in homophobic attacks. (And we haven’t even mentioned how messed up and divided theUS is on LGBT rights.)

In Canada, we sometimes forget that we have it pretty good. With Bill C-279, we’re heading toward a place where sexual discrimination in the workplace could be eradicated. Of course, the pessimist in me says that discrimination has happened and will continue to happen in the workplace, with people of all sexualities passed over for promotions and belittled or ostracized by their peers, but it is solace to know that our government is promoting fairness and equality, much more than the majority of the world’s governing bodies, and that these are small steps in the right direction.

And the people agree with our government. In a 2012 Forum Research poll, over 66 per cent of Canadians approve of same-sex marriage, with disapproval rates highest among older people, meaning that percentile should grow over time.

Of course, we still have fighting to do. In that same poll, it was shown that 54 per cent of Albertans and 46 per cent of low-income individuals disapprove of same-sex marriage. And Bill C-279, the one I’m so happy about, passed by an extremely small margin, and our prime minister voted against it. And the travesties that are happening around the world, (some of which our government has supported), can be overcome but activists in those countries may need support from progressive Canadians. Therefore, there are still many battles to be fought.

But I’m confident that Canada will win those battles. I’ve seen a distinct change in equality in workplaces over the last ten years, and I’m sure I will continue to see acceptance grow for years to come. Jobpostings is celebrating equal rights in the workplace with our annual LGBT issue (due out in May) and is highlighting the problems left in our system.

As an openly gay man, I’m proud to live in a country that celebrates and protects my rights, a country that I’m confident will continue to do so.