New QueerTech Research: 2SLGBTQI+ Tech Workers Face Doubled Rates of Workplace Harassment

National study finds significant barriers to hiring, career advancement and workplace wellbeing, with Black and transgender tech workers reporting the highest rates of discrimination. 

Montreal, QC - September 2026 | Today, national nonprofit QueerTech, with support from The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University, released new national research showing persistent disparities affecting 2SLGBTQI+ professionals across Canada’s technology sector. The 2026 2SLGBTQI+ Tech Worker Industry Census Report found that queer tech workers are twice as likely as their non-queer peers to experience workplace harassment, while 50% reported experiencing discrimination. Among Black 2SLGBTQI+ tech workers, reported discrimination reached 70%. 

This Industry Census is formatted to equip industry and support ecosystem leaders with new, strategic, and actionable insights relating to the 2SLGBTQI+ tech sector workforce. It is the first of two follow-up studies to the 2024 Queering the Tech Ecosystem: Barriers and Opportunities Research Report; the first initiative of its kind to examine the lived experiences and systemic barriers uniquely applicable to 2SLGBTQI+ tech professionals in Canada. The Community Census, planned for November 2026 publication, will be tailored to the queer-in-tech workforce.

The research comes at a critical moment for Canada’s economy. As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies reshape how people are hired, evaluated and supported at work, ensuring that historically underserved communities can participate in, and benefit from, this transformation is becoming increasingly important to Canada’s economic resilience and competitiveness.

Benchmarking Progress & Strengthening Understanding  

This work builds on the 2024 Report by introducing a baseline comparison with non-2SLGBTQI+ counterparts. This comparison allows for QueerTech and its partners to gain valuable insights into specific challenges and experiences faced by this critical, yet underserved segment of the population. Further, this methodology incorporates data comparison over time, enabling the tracking of both ecosystem progression and regression, relating to key goals of equitable access, fair advancement, and inclusive workplaces. 

Striving to continuously improve upon research practices relating to representation accuracy and finding applicability, this Census also offers a wider, more diverse sample of queer respondents - ranging in ethnicity, age, gender identity, and sexual orientation - than what was studied in 2024. This advancement in collection practices provides a more nuanced, intersectional understanding of the 2SLGBTQI+ technology workforce in Canada.

Key Findings

FRICTION IN HIRING - Barriers to Economic Participation.

- 2SLGBTQI+ candidates in tech face disproportionate hiring challenges, with 50% reporting stress related to their gender identity and 35% reporting experiencing bias from AI tools (compared to 22% of their peers), raising important questions on how emerging technologies may shape access to employment and opportunity.

SAFETY VS. SATISFACTION - Barriers to Sustainable Wellness & Workforce Retention.

- 2SLGBTQI+ tech workers are twice as likely as their peers to face workplace harassment (44%) and discrimination (50%). 

- Risks are even more pronounced for intersectional identities, with discrimination rates reaching 70% for Black 2SLGBTQI+ workers and 67% for the transgender community.

MENTAL HEALTH & RESILIENCE - Individual Impacts of Systemic Barriers & Exclusive Systems.

- 2SLGBTQI+ tech workers report lower resilience and higher burnout rates than their peers, including significantly higher emotional exhaustion (3.69 compared to 3.2). 

- This exhaustion from constant vigilance is associated with higher rates of depersonalization and a diminished sense of personal achievement in their professional lives.

BARRIERS TO PROGRESS - Systemic Influences on Advancement & Opportunity.

- Systemic barriers lead to feelings of overqualification, affecting 45% of 2SLGBTQI+ tech workers (and 61% of Black 2SLGBTQI+ tech workers). 

- Interviews revealed that for workers in startups specifically, there is often an invisible glass ceiling where a lack of formal DEI structures prevents qualified talent from advancing into management roles.

“Getting queer people into tech isn’t enough if they can’t stay, advance and thrive once they’re there. For years, we’ve focused on breaking down barriers to entering the tech industry. This research shows that getting through the door is only the beginning,” said Naoufel Testaouni, Co-Founder and CEO of QueerTech. “As AI and emerging technologies reshape Canada’s economy, we have a real opportunity to do things differently. We need to make sure the next generation of our innovation economy creates more opportunity, not new barriers. That means building an industry where more people can get in, stay, advance, lead and benefit from the opportunities technology creates.”

Canada’s ability to compete in the AI and emerging technology race will depend on more than the technologies we build or the deals we make. As we build the next era of our technology economy, QueerTech’s research reinforces that the Canadian innovation advantage ultimately depends on people. A strong and sustainable talent pipeline requires more than opening doors - it requires creating the conditions necessary for talent to stay, advance, lead and benefit from the economic opportunities technology creates. Through research, partnerships and community-driven solutions, QueerTech is working with Canada’s tech ecosystem to turn these insights into action and build an innovation economy where more people can contribute, thrive and shape what comes next.

Access The Research: 2026 2SLGBTQI+ Tech Worker Industry Census Report

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Media Requests: 

[email protected] (Lauren Hicks, Media Lead, QueerTech)

About QueerTech:

QueerTech is a national nonprofit advancing 2SLGBTQI+ talent, entrepreneurship, and inclusive technology across Canada’s tech ecosystem. Through community led programming, original research, strategic partnerships, and actionable inclusion tools, QueerTech builds pathways into tech and helps shape a more responsible and equitable technology industry. The organization is also a national leader in responsible technology advocacy and progressive 2SLGBTQI+ equity and inclusion policy facilitation.