Canada Has Issued An LGTBQ+ Travel Advisory For The U.S.

Canada has updated its travel advisory for the United States – warning 2LGBTQIA+ individuals that certain state laws could affect them during a visit to the U.S.

Global Affairs Canada issued the updated travel advisory on August 29, 2023, stating, "Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons."

Considering many laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression vary from country to country, members of the 2LGBTQIA+ community could face certain challenges and risks when travelling outside of Canada.

In June of 2023, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a national state of emergency for 2LGBTQIA+ Americans for the first time ever following a massive spike in anti-LGBTQ+ laws and legislative assaults that continue to sweep through the U.S.

According to the HRC, a record 70 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been enacted so far in 2023, many of which ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, require or allow misgendering of trans students, target drag performance, or create a license to discriminate as well as censor any LGBTQ+ curriculum in school.

While Global Affairs Canada did not specify which states 2LGBTQIA+ Canadians should avoid or take caution while visiting, the government agency does recommend travellers verify information regarding their travel destination by checking "relevant state and local laws."

The Human Rights Campaign outlined a few of the anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were notably present in states such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Tennessee, Missouri, and Iowa, to name a few.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke out regarding the recent warning during a press conference in Moncton, New Brunswick, stating that she supports the decision to update the travel advisory. "Every Canadian government, very much including our government, needs to put at the centre of everything we do the interests and the safety of every single Canadian, and of every single group of Canadians," she said. "That's what we're doing now. That's what we're always going to do."

While Freeland would not comment on whether or not U.S. President Joe Biden was made aware of the travel advisory change prior to it being updated, she said she has full faith in Global Affairs Canada.

"We have professionals in the government whose job is to look carefully around the world and to monitor whether there are particular dangers to particular groups of Canadians," she said. "That's their job and it's the right thing to do."