By Christian Manuel Briceno
Aug 29, 2023, 21:31 PM EDT
The Canadian government recently issued an alert to travelers from the LGBTQ+ population who wish to go to the United States, considering that they could be victims of discrimination and harassment if they enter this country. The reason? The myriad of state laws that have recently been passed that directly address LGBTQ+ people. This was reported by the news portal The Hill.
The advisory, released Tuesday, says LGBTQ+ Canadians considering travel to the United States “should check relevant state and local laws” before visiting the US, as some states “have enacted laws and public policies that could 2SLGBTQI+ people.”
Despite the warning, the Canadian government does not specify which states LGBTQ travelers should avoid, and the risk associated with traveling to the United States remains as low as possible.
There is a legal context for Canada’s warning: the proposition of nearly 500 bills that directly target the LGBTQ+ population in the United States in at least 46 states across the country, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union reviewed by The Hill. .
At least 83 of these bills have become current state regulations.
In April, St. Petersburg-based LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida issued its own travel advisory, warning both domestic and international travelers that Florida “may not be a safe place to visit or settle” due to new laws that target LGBTQ people, restrict access to reproductive health care, and relax restrictions on firearms.
The Human Rights Campaign also spoke out against travel to Florida, declaring a national state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the United States in June, citing the passage of laws in several states across the country that target LGBTQ people, especially to trans youth.
Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday that the update to the nation’s travel advisory is not politically motivated and is aimed at keeping Canadian citizens as safe as possible abroad. .
“As someone who has had the true privilege of serving as Canada’s foreign minister, I know that our travel advisories are done very professionally,” Freeland said, according to The Hill.
“We have professionals in government whose job it is to look carefully around the world and monitor for particular dangers to specific groups of Canadians,” Freeland added. “That’s your job and it’s the right thing to do.”
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