Canada’s Advisory for LGBTQ+ Travelers Visiting the US
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the U.S. have sparked Canada to advise LGBTQ+ travelers to check where they’re traveling when planning a trip. The new travel advisory for the United States comes as anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations in the country last year “rocketed 30-fold compared with 2017 and legal moves to restrict LGBTQ+ rights are on the rise,” according to Reuters.
Even though the addition to Canada’s travel advisory for the U.S. does not call out specific states, it warns, “Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons” and to “check relevant state and local laws” before they go. The message is directed at travelers who consider themselves two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or intersex.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Tuesday, “Every Canadian government … needs to put at the center of everything we do the interest and the safety of every single group of Canadians. That’s what we’re doing now.”
In response to the advisory, the U.S. State Department said the United States is committed to promoting tolerance, inclusion, justice, and dignity” while advancing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community with other like-minded countries around the world.
You may recall that the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) declared a national state of emergency, citing an increase in legislation in state capitols aimed at regulating the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
That may have sparked the decision for the advisory, but the overall risk profile for the U.S. (for Canadians) still remains green which just indicates normal security protocol.
According to data released last year, Canadians made 2.8 million trips to the United States last June, making the country the top travel destination for residents! The data also states that about 1 million people ( 4% of the Canadian population) aged 15 years and older identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another sexual orientation than heterosexual.
Source: Reuters
