Ottawa warns LGBT+ travelers to United States

The Canadian government issued a warning on Tuesday to members of the LGBT+ community wishing to travel to the United States about the risks they may encounter in certain states.

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Ottawa recommends in particular to “check local laws” by referring to laws and policies that could affect “members of this community in certain American states.

Published online on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this type of warning usually targets countries recognized for their violations of LGBT + rights such as Russia, Egypt or Uganda.

In general, travel advisories from the Canadian government concern risks related to situations of political instability or natural disasters.

Asked about this Tuesday at a press conference, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stressed that this decision was not political.

“We have public servants in government whose role is to observe what is happening in the world and to monitor the particular dangers that lie in wait for certain groups of Canadians in particular,” she said.

Canada, a country of 40 million people, has about one million people from the LGBT+ community, according to Statistics Canada.

The United States is the number one destination for Canadians, with 2.8 million visits in June alone.

Ottawa’s advice comes as anti-LGBT+ rhetoric escalates in the United States with an avalanche of laws against transgender people brought by conservative elected officials and targeted boycotts of brands, such as that of Target supermarkets, which supported LGBT+ causes.

In June, the United States Supreme Court for the first time authorized certain businesses to exclude LGBT+ customers on religious grounds.

Source