Canada Warning to LGBTQ+ Travelers

Canada has issued a new travel warning to its LGBTQ+ citizens planning to visit the United States. 

 

It is claimed that anti-LGBTQ+ protests in the US rose 30-fold last year compared with 2017, while legal moves to restrict LGBTQ+ rights are on the rise. 

 

Global Affairs Canada warned that some state laws may affect them on their travels, but did not specify where. 

 

These type of warnings are usually reserved for countries such as Uganda, Russia or Egypt.

 

Their US travel advice page reads:

The term 2SLGBTQI+ is widely used in Canada for people who consider themselves two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or intersex. 

 

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada pointed to US laws targeting the transgender community. 

 

"Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the US have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events", they told CBC News. 

 

In March, Tennessee's governor signed laws banning drag performances in front of children and restricting medical treatment for transgender youth. Two months later, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed bills banning children from undergoing transgender medical treatments or going to drag shows, and restricting pronoun use in classrooms. 

 

Hundreds of similar regulations on LGBTQ+ issues have been proposed in conservative-run states across the US. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ community's largest advocacy group in the US, said in June that LGBTQ+ Americans were facing a state of emergency as states continue targeting them with legislation.