Canada has warned LGBTQ+ travelers to be wary of local laws and policies in some US states in an update to its international travel advisory yesterday (Aug. 29).
“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons,” the Canadian government wrote, referring to people who identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex and more. An estimated one million people in Canada identify as a member of that community.
The advisory neither names any states nor does it explicitly outline which laws are considered to be threats. However, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson pointed CBS to laws passed in the US this year that restrict drag shows, limit gender-affirming care, and block trans youth’s participation in sporting events.
The advisory is not politically charged against the US, but rather seeks to protect Canadian nationals, according to deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.
“Even as we work hard on that government-to-government relationship, every Canadian government, very much including our government, needs to put at the centre of everything we do the interests and the safety of every single Canadian and every single group of Canadians. That’s what we’re doing now,” Freeland said at a press conference in Moncton yesterday.
One big number: Anti-LGBTQ bills in the US
495: Anti-LGBTQ bill in the US being tracked by the American Civil Liberties Union, targeting classroom instruction, bathroom usage, freedom of speech, healthcare provisions, and more
Quotable: Rising LGBTQ+ hate crime in the US
“Sibley’s shocking murder follows a disturbing rise in violence and harassment against LGBTQ people across the US. This cannot continue. No one should have to fear for their safety just for being themselves. Politicians spewing lies and proposing policies filled with disinformation, and media repeating their false and dangerous rhetoric unchallenged, are creating an incredibly hostile environment that endangers all LGBTQ people and all queer people of color.”
—Statemtent by advocacy group The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) after O’Shea Sibley, a gay Black man who was a professional dancer and choreography, was fatally stabbed by a 17-year-old in a hate crime while voguing at a gas station in New York City
A non-exhaustive list of Canada’s growing anti-LGBTQ+ policies
Prime minister Justin Trudeau has assured members of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community that the country is a safe haven for them, but not all politicians are on the same page.
👩🏻🏫 At least two Canadian provinces have a policy that bars teachers from using a child’s preferred pronouns without parental consent for those under the age of 16
🏥 A policy resolution, dubbed “Protecting Children’s Mental and Physical Health,” argues “children cannot understand or consent to transitioning,” and seeks to prohibit “life altering” medical or surgical interventions “ to treat “gender confusion or dysphoria” in people under the age of 18. Conservative party members will vote on it at their convention from Sept. 7-9.
👩🏻 At the convention next week, several conservative grassroots members will also debate and vote on the “Protecting Female Sports, Intimate Spaces and Women’s Rights” resolution. It seeks to allow only biological women to share single-sex places—prisons, locker rooms, washrooms— and argues that “male-born athletes (irrespective of gender identity) have immutable and insurmountable competitive advantages.”
One more thing: Trans sanctuary states in the US
On June 6, Maryland governor Wes Moore signed an executive order (pdf) making it a sanctuary state for trans people fleeing other unfriendly states.
Maryland already has several trans-friendly laws in place, such as Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming hair removal, surgery and therapies; easy drivers license gender changes; transgender inclusion in schools; trans panic defense that stops intimate partners from getting away with murder of transgender people.
The Old Line state is the the 12th blue state to implement the policy to protect those escaping states that deny civil liberties and threaten criminal punishment. California was the first state to do so last year.
New York is ready to join the ranks of shielding trans people. A similar bill in the financial capital of the US has cleared the legislature and is one governor signature away from being enacted.
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