Sexual Orientation

The addition of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination in 1996 was an important landmark in Canadian human rights. Its significance can be measured in part by the fact that it took nearly two decades from the time our Commission first called for this amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act for it to become the law of the land.

The term "sexual orientation" refers to:

• heterosexuality (sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex)
• homosexuality (sexual attraction to members of the same sex)
• bisexuality (sexual attraction to members of both sexes).