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Hidden Violence

​2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals and families live meaningful lives and they make valuable contributions to their communities. Nevertheless, discrimination, systemic exclusion, and victimization through structural and interpersonal violence are parts of the lived experience of many within 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. 2S/LGBTQIA+ folks who also identify with another oppressed group (e.g., Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, disabled, unhoused, etc.) experience a disproportionate amount of harm.  


In 2019, Statistics Canada reported that 13.5% of police-reported hate crimes across Canada and 13.9% in Ontario were motivated by hatred of sexual orientation. There was a 41% increase in the number of hate crimes targeting sexual orientation compared to the previous year. From 2010-2019, 55 police-reported hate crimes targeted gender diverse individuals, with the majority of these incidents occurring in the past 3 years. Further analysis revealed 62% of police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation and 80% of hate crimes targeting gender diversity were classified as violent offences, which is higher than the rate of violence in other hate crimes. 

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More recently, Statistics Canada found that police-reported hate crimes in the Waterloo Region were the highest of any region in Canada. CBC reported that this included an increase in hate crimes targeting 2S/LGBTQIA+ folks. The RCC OutLook Study found that 2S/LGBTQIA+ people fear harassment in public washrooms, clothing stores and at the gym. Many do not feel a sense of belonging in our community.

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Some visible reminders of the violence and harm faced by 2S/LGBTQIA+ folks in the Waterloo Region include:

  • Pride flags were damaged and the flag poles were vandalized with graffiti at two elementary schools in Kitchener in June 2017.

  • Two 2SLGBTQ+-friendly churches were vandalized with homophobic graffiti in the Fall of 2017. 

  • Closures or diminished funding for a number of 2S/LGBTQIA+ spaces in our community, which has made it difficult for people to make social connections in places where they feel safe.

Breaking the Silence: Causes

Breaking the Silence

The Breaking the Silence on Hidden Violence committee wants to support and amplify voices in our community that research, address, and advocate against forms of hidden violence experienced by 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals and families in the Waterloo Region. We aim to support and facilitate community safety, inclusion, and belonging.


In order to achieve this goal, we have identified four priority areas:

  • Safe spaces (work, faith, school, public space, private business, institutions, etc.)

  • The role of allies and advocates

  • Safety with legal and police systems

  • Identifying and working to address structural violence in institutions

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Breaking the Silence: Text

Our Work

Our group has worked on the following projects:

  • A Place to Call Safe: A Conversation about Safer Spaces for the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community in Waterloo Region, held November 22, 2018 at the Kitchener Public Library, on May 31, 2018 at the Waterloo Public Library, and on October 18, 2018 at Idea Exchange in Cambridge.

  • Collaborated with the Outlook Study to create the Victimization and Community Safety Fact Sheet

  • Sought and received endorsements for the Breaking the Silence on Hidden Violence report from Region of Waterloo Council, City of Waterloo Council and City of Kitchener Council.  We continue to engage with local municipalities on how they can live into the Calls to Action outlined in this report

  • Spoke as a delegation to City of Waterloo Council about the importance of 2S/LGBTQIA+ inclusion

  • Met with Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair to discuss ongoing collaborative work by Rainbow Community Council and Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council to promote 2S/LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Waterloo Region

  • Hosted an On the Table event to discuss 2S/LGBTQIA+ inclusion with members of the community in Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener on September 27, 2019.

Our future projects include:

  • Holding more A Place to Call Safe events at locations across Waterloo Region – Watch this page for future dates and locations!

  • Sharing stories and artwork that community members create at these events

  • Working to bring resources to 2S/LGBTQIA+ people at the Grand Valley Institution for Women.

Breaking the Silence: Text

Committee History

In November 2014, a forum was held in Waterloo Region entitled, “Breaking the Silence on Hidden Violence.” Seventy-five people attended the event to discuss hate crimes an violence against the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community in the Region.  Over the course of the next year, community members continued to meet to identify key priorities.  It was suggested that a working group be established to begin the work.

At the same time, the Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition (WRRC) was bringing people and organizations together with the goal of creating a “connected, welcoming, integrated and supportive community in Waterloo Region that is inclusive of members of the Rainbow Community” (see About RCC).  In May 2015, it was decided to align the work of Breaking the Silence as a working group of the newly formed Rainbow Community Council.

A report was published in September 2015 outlining the work that had been done to date.  It also includes Calls to Action that can be implemented at the systems, community and individual levels.

Breaking the Silence: Text
Breaking the Silence: Text

Links and Resources

If you witness a hate incident or violence against 2S/LGBTQIA+ people in Waterloo Region please contact the Coalition of Muslim Women KW's Report Hate service to help us as a community track for the level of hate crimes. The service is anonymous, affirming, and able to connect you with local services. 

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If you have experienced a hate incident or violence and are looking for support, you could reach out to:

Breaking the Silence: Text
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