The Canadian government issued a new advisory to its LGBTQ+ citizens traveling to the United States Tuesday, warning them of “laws and policies” certain states have enacted against the drag and transgender communities.
On the Canadian government’s official “United States travel advice” page, an advisory to Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ — two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or intersex — citizens states that “some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws.”
“Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the US have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to the CBC News.
“The information is provided to enable travelers to make their own informed decisions regarding destinations. Outside Canada, laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can be very different from those in Canada.”
Prior to Tuesday’s addition to the United States page, the advisory was usually reserved for countries like Russia, Egypt, and Uganda.
The change comes amid a rash of anti-drag bills in the U.S., including the controversial bill in Tennessee and a subsequent measure in Florida preventing children from undergoing gender reassignment, attending drag shows, and using pronouns in school; according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), there are 494 anti-LGBTQ bills currently working their way through state legislatures.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday that she supported the travel advisory, which the government made without consulting the Biden administration.
“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,” Freeland, a former foreign affairs minister, said. “That’s what we’re doing now. That’s what we’re always going to do.”