OTTAWA, Feb. 28 (UPI)

The odds of gays and lesbians being victims of violent crime in Canada was nearly double that of heterosexuals, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Using data from the 2004 General Social Survey, which for the first time asked respondents for their sexual orientation, the agency also found bisexuals were 4.5 times more likely to be attacked than the straight population.

Compared with heterosexuals, a higher proportion of gays and lesbians were single, living in an urban area, and were engaging in 30 or more evening social activities per month than heterosexuals, the report said.

Despite the increased risk, more than 9 out of 10 gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians said they were “somewhat” or “very” satisfied with their personal safety, which is close to the number of heterosexuals who said so, StatsCan said.

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