Curtis Rush ( Feb 28, 2008)

Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are more likely to be the victims of a violent crime than heterosexual members of the general population, according to a new study by Statistics Canada.

The study, which included responses from 24,000 Canadians, was based on data from a 2004 general survey, which for the first time asked respondents to identify their sexual orientation.

The crimes examined included sexual assault, robbery and physical assault.

The victimization rate for gays and lesbians was almost 2.5 times higher than the rate for heterosexuals, while the rate for bisexuals was four times higher than the rate for heterosexuals.

When looking at spousal violence, the study found that gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals also reported more abuse than the general population.

Fifteen per cent of gays or lesbians and 28 per cent of bisexuals reported being victims of spousal abuse compared to 7 per cent of heterosexuals.

Jodi-Anne Brzozowski, acting chief of the research unit at the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, which is a division of Statistics Canada, said the study was unable to pinpoint whether gays, lesbians and bisexuals reported whether they felt they were the targets of crime due to their sexual orientation.

"Given the very small samples, we can't get into a lot of specific details," she said.

Only 1.5 per cent of the population reported their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian or bisexual. However, more gays, lesbians and bisexuals reported a higher degree of discrimination.

"They were much more likely to say that they had experienced discrimination than heterosexuals," Brzozowski said.

Forty-four per cent of gays and lesbians reported they had experienced discrimination, while 41 per cent of bisexuals said they had experienced discrimination, compared to only 14 per cent of heterosexuals.

When those respondents were asked if they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, 78 per cent of gays and lesbians said that sexual orientation was the root of the discrimination.