Global Affairs Canada, a government arm charged with managing diplomatic relations and providing consular assistance, issued a safety advisory for the Canadian LGBTQ community who plan to visit or reside in the United States.
No Specific States Included in the Advisory
The agency didn’t specify which states were included in the advisory but urged travelers to check local laws before taking a trip to a specific destination.
What Travelers Should Look Out For
The government of Canada advised LGBTQ travelers to watch for laws that “criminalize same-sex activities and relationships [and] criminalize people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.”
Republican States Pass Laws Targeting LGBTQ Communities
The move comes after a number of Republican-led states including Florida, passed laws affecting LGBTQ communities over the last year.
Access to Gender-Affirming Care is Restricted
Republican-led laws nationwide limit access to gender-affirming care, penalize transgender individuals for using gender identity-matching restrooms, and empower schools to misgender and involuntarily disclose transgender and non-binary students, among other provisions.
Florida Expands Don’t Say Gay Bill
In Florida, HB 1069, which has been enacted into law, silences educators by prohibiting any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from Pre-K through 8th grade, expanding the “Don’t Say LGBTQ+ Law” passed last year.
Limiting LGTBQ Discussions in Schools
The bill, passed in Florida in 2022, also known as the Parental Rights in Education bill, that critics infamously called the “Don’t Say Gay” limits LGBTQ discussion in schools, effectively saying that conversations about sexual orientation and gender shouldn’t start at an early age.
It also gives parents final say about what their children learn and at what age.
Some U.S. States Restrict the Rights of Transgender Community
“Certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” Jérémie Bérubé, a spokesman for Global Affairs, said in a statement.
“Laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can be very different from those in Canada,” the statement added.
Canadians Could Face Risks and Barriers Outside The Country
“As a result, Canadians could face certain barriers and risks when they travel outside Canada.”
The Human Rights Campaign Declares an Emergency
In June, The Human Rights Campaign, the biggest U.S. organization that aims to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. saying that travel advisories alone aren’t enough to help people living in the states that passed laws targeting LGBTQ people.
The NAACP Issues Advisory For Florida
Earlier, The NAACP, which advocates for African Americans, issued a travel advisory for Florida joining a group of other organizations including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the state.
Florida Tourism Suffers
Florida’s Broward County, home to popular resort town Fort Lauderdale about 30 minutes north of Miami, said losses were mounting as more conventions decided to stay away, citing fear for the safety of diverse groups participating in these events amid “unfriendly political environment.”
14 Conventions Bowed Out of Florida
So far, 14 conventions that have been previously scheduled for Florida, decided to go elsewhere, according to a report published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Powerful Conservative Groups at Play
The Associated Press analysis found that many bills seeking to ban or restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, who have been the primary targets of state legislation this year, sprang from the pens of a few powerful conservative interest groups.
Not a Good Image of the U.S.
“There are 500 anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation making their way through various state legislatures at the moment,” said Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, an LGBTQ+ rights group in Toronto. “It’s not a good image on the U.S.”
Similar Policies Enacted In Canada
Similar policies have been recently enacted in the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, which now require parental consent when children under 16 years old want to use different names or pronouns at school.
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United States Women’s National Team Players Refuse to Sing National Anthem in Bold Protest; Critics and Supporters Clash Over ‘Disrespectful’ Act
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“They Just Kept on Increasing” – Trans Teenagers Are on the Rise, and Now Studies Are Showing the Reasons Behind This ‘Strange’ Development
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An Androgynous Mindset: Former President Barack Obama’s Gay Fantasy Has Been Revealed in a Newly-Redacted 1982 Letter
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J.K. Rowling Won’t Budge on Gender – Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture’s Responds by Removing Author From Its Hall of Fame and Harry Potter Exhibition
In a surprising move, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, decided to airbrush J.K. Rowling from its Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and Harry Potter exhibition due to her gender-critical views. J.K. Rowling Won’t Budge on Gender – Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture’s Responds by Removing Author From Its Hall of Fame and Harry Potter Exhibition
The post “Don’t Say Gay” – Canada Warns LGBTQ+ Travelers: 500 Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws in the U.S. Prompt Safety Advisory first appeared on Mama Say What?!
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Source: The Guardian
