Housing Insecurity and Disparities Among Gender Minorities in Canada: Evidence From a National Census

Housing is a key social determinant of health, yet research on disparities among transgender and gender-diverse people has relied on convenience or targeted samples, leaving population-representative evidence absent. To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first population-based assessment of housing inequities for cisgender-, transgender-, and nonbinary-led households in Canada.

This study utilized data from the 2021 Canadian Long Form Census, focusing on primary household maintainers aged ≥15 years. Gender identity was derived from sex at birth and gender identity questions, disaggregating cisgender, transgender men, transgender women, nonbinary assigned male at birth, and nonbinary assigned female at birth households. Outcomes included core housing need (unaffordable, inadequate, or unsuitable housing) and each component separately. Logistic regression models estimated ORs and predicted probabilities, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and regional covariates. Subgroup analyses examined heterogeneity by age, living arrangement, and tenure.

Cisgender men-led households had the lowest probability of core housing need (8.0%), compared with higher risks among cisgender women (12.8%), transgender women (21.2%), nonbinary assigned female at birth (21.2%), nonbinary assigned male at birth (19.4%), and transgender men (16.5%). Fully adjusted models showed elevated odds for transgender women (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.15, 1.51), nonbinary assigned male at birth individuals (OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.12, 1.51), and nonbinary assigned female at birth individuals (OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.41, 1.72) households relative to those for cisgender men. Disparities were largest among youth, renters, and households with multiple people.

Transgender and gender-diverse-led households face systematic and significant housing disadvantages in Canada. Addressing these inequities requires embedding gender identity in housing policy, enforcing antidiscrimination protections, and expanding affordable and supportive housing tailored to transgender and gender-diverse populations.