Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, discrimination and harassment because of gender identity or gender expression is against the law. Everyone should be able to have the same opportunities and benefits, and be treated with equal dignity and respect including transgender, transsexual and intersex persons, cross-dressers, and other people whose gender identity or expression is, or is seen to be, different from their birth sex.
In 2012 “gender identity” and “gender expression” were added as grounds of discrimination in the Ontario Human Rights Code. To fully address the new Code grounds, as well as the significant legal decisions, policy changes and other developments since its first policy, the OHRC released a new Policy on preventing discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression in April 2014.
To learn more about the OHRC’s work on gender identity and expression, and the public consultation it undertook to develop the new policy, see Talking about gender identity and gender expression.
Relevant Policies:
This morning we see the faces and hear the stories of the women and men killed and wounded in Orlando. They look and sound like us, our neighbours, our friends, our families. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre, as well as to their loved ones.
Toronto — Hockey Canada, through its Ontario branches, ushers in a new era of transgender inclusion in time for the 2016-2017 hockey season by posting transgender inclusive policies. This step is part of a settlement agreement between Hockey Canada, on behalf of its Ontario members, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and Jesse Thompson, a trans teenaged boy who played amateur hockey and courageously decided to take on the system.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) filed a notice of intervention with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) in the case of AB v Ministry of Education, involving recent changes to Ontario’s education curriculum.
All students deserve to see themselves and their families reflected in Ontario’s mandatory education curriculum, and should receive information necessary to protect their health and well-being. Over the past year, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has taken many steps to make this vision a reality.
The OHRC welcomes today’s announcement by Facebook Canada that aims to ensure advertisements cannot discriminate based on factors such as age, gender, or postal code.
This opinion editorial by Interim Chief Commissioner Ena Chadha on human rights in Ontario appeared in the Toronto Star on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.
The OHRC is pleased that the City of Toronto’s proposed framework for multi-tenant houses implements human rights principles and “would establish city-wide permissions for multi-tenant houses.”
The OHRC is concerned that the Township of Brock’s Interim Control By-law 2994-2020 to "prohibit the establishment of Supportive Housing and Modular Construction, including Manufactured Dwelling Houses" creates barriers to establishing and accessing supportive housing, which may be discriminatory under the Human Rights Code. The OHRC calls on Council to remove any barriers that have a discriminatory effect as soon as possible, and to allow such supportive housing projects to proceed.
The OHRC urges the HCDSB to join other Catholic school boards in welcoming their LGBTQ2+ students, staff and community members by flying the Pride flag.
As the world grapples with the ongoing “monkeypox” outbreak, several very concerning human rights issues have been exposed.
