As Canada issues an advisory for LGBTQ2 travellers going to the U.S. to warn them they may face discrimination if they go to some states, advocacy groups are sounding the alarm on the discrimination the population is facing in their own country.
Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, calls the advisory unsurprising.
“It’s something that we have known about for some time. There’s close to 500 different pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation making their way through various legislatures in the U.S. at the moment. So it is a hostile environment down there in some states, and kudos to our government for recognizing that,” she told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
Mid-morning Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada changed its U.S. travel advice to include a caveat for LGBTQ2 travellers because “some states have enacted laws and policies” that may affect them.
The move comes after at least 18 U.S. states passed laws that limit or ban certain things relevant to the community, including gender-affirming medical care for minors and teaching about sexual orientation in schools.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also warned in May that threats of violence against the LGBTQ2 community were becoming more frequent and intense.
Egale Canada, an organization that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ2 people, has been watching the change closely, and Kennedy said discrimination has been happening since long before changes in legislation.
The executive director has experienced issues while travelling across the border, calling some states “not a friendly environment.”
“There is a shift in terms of acceptance and tolerance towards marginalized groups in the U.S. And so it’s good for our members and our Canadian society to know that this is happening very close to our borders,” she said.
“This is about providing people with the resources and the information that they need in order to make good choices for themselves.”
The shift in rhetoric has permeated Canada, too, Kennedy said, pointing to changes in legislation and school policies across provinces as well as calls to ban books with inclusive messaging.
“Although it’s important to know about what’s going on in the U.S., it’s equally as important to know what’s happening here at home,” she said.
Kennedy points to changes in legislation that are making waves north of the border.
An Angus Reid Institute poll released Monday showed that 49 per cent of 3,016 Manitobans surveyed said parents should be informed and consent if a child wishes to change how they identify. Another 27 per cent said parents should be informed about the change but consent shouldn’t be required, while 16 per cent said parents should neither be informed nor have a say. Seven per cent said they were not sure or couldn’t say.
Last week Saskatchewan joined New Brunswick in adopting new policies on gender and pronouns for schools that would require parental consent for students who wish to change their preferred name or pronouns.
Kennedy said the move is robbing youth of the right to self-determination and autonomy and can lead to volatile living situations and youth homelessness.
“It’s very troubling,” she said.
In a written statement, U.S. Ambassador David Cohen did not directly address Canada’s new travel warning but said his country “stands for equality and equal treatment for all.”
“The United States is committed to promoting tolerance, inclusion, justice and dignity while helping to advance equality for the LGBTQI+ community,” he wrote.
“We all must continue to do this work with our like-minded partners not only in the United States, not only in Canada, but throughout the world.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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