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Canada issues travel advisory warning over U.S. states' LGBTQ+ laws

The Associated Press

The Canadian and U.S. flags are displayed on lamp posts in the downtown area, March 22, 2023, near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. Adrian Wyld/AP hide caption

The Canadian and U.S. flags are displayed on lamp posts in the downtown area, March 22, 2023, near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario.

TORONTO — Canada this week updated its travel advisory to the U.S., warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that some American states have enacted laws that may affect them.

The country's Global Affairs department did not specify which states, but is advising travelers to check the local laws for their destination before traveling.

"Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events," Global Affairs spokesman Jérémie Bérubé said Thursday in an emailed statement.

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"Outside Canada, laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can be very different from those in Canada," the statement added. "As a result, Canadians could face certain barriers and risks when they travel outside Canada."

Bérubé said no Canadians in the U.S. have complained to Global Affairs of how they were treated or kept from expressing their opinions about LGBTQ+ issues.

The Human Rights Campaign — the largest U.S.-based organization devoted to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans — in June declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S.

The NAACP in May issued a travel advisory for Florida warning potential tourists about recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, including bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.

In Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders this year signed a law prohibiting transgender people at public schools from using the restroom that matches their gender identity. Similar laws have been enacted in states such as Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Asked about the travel advisory change this week, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said travel advisories issued by Global Affairs Canada are based on advice from professionals in the department whose job it is to monitor for particular dangers.

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"Every Canadian government needs to put at the center of everything we do the interests — and the safety — of every single Canadian and every single group of Canadians," Freeland said.

She did not say whether her government had discussed the matter with its U.S. counterpart.

"It sounds like virtue-signaling by Global Affairs," said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

"In no U.S. state, to my knowledge, has any government charged or discriminated against an LGBTQ+ traveler because of their sexual identity or orientation. This all strains the credibility of the department," he added.

David Mulroney, Canada's former ambassador to China, also criticized the advisory.

"Travel advisories are meant to highlight things that threaten the safety of Canadian travelers, not things the govt and its supporters disagree with. It's about danger signaling, not virtue signaling," Mulroney tweeted.

Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, an LGBTQ+ rights group in Toronto, commended the Canadian government for putting out the advisory.

"There are 500 anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation making their way through various state legislatures at the moment," Kennedy said. "It's not a good image on the U.S."

Kennedy also said Canada needs to take a serious look at how safe LGBTQ+ communities are in Canada as similar policies have been recently enacted in the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, which now require parental consent when children under 16 years old want to use different names or pronouns at school.

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Canada Cautions L.G.B.T.Q. Citizens Visiting U.S. Over State Laws

Advice that travelers to the U.S. “check relevant state and local laws” came in response to rules this year restricting transgender care, drag shows and sports participation.

A group of people in red T-shirts walk down a street. Some of the people are carrying flags or signs.

By Ian Austen

Reporting from Ottawa

The Canadian government is warning L.G.B.T.Q. travelers to the United States that they may be affected by a series of recently enacted state laws that restrict transgender and gay people.

Global Affairs Canada, the foreign affairs department, added a brief notice on Tuesday to a long list of travel warnings involving the United States that had already included cautions about gun violence and terrorism.

“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons,” the notice reads. “Check relevant state and local laws.” (The beginning of the Canadian government’s acronym, “2S,” represents two-spirit, an Indigenous term for someone with a masculine and a feminine spirit.)

Jérémie Bérubé, a spokesman for the department, said in a statement that the change was made because “certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events” since the beginning of this year. The warning did not name specific states.

He added that, like all travel advisories, this one had followed a “thorough analysis of various information sources, including consular trends observed by Canadian diplomats in the field.”

Mr. Bérubé did not respond to a question about whether any Canadian travelers had sought help from Canadian diplomats because of recent state legislation pertaining to L.G.B.T.Q. people.

Moves by state lawmakers, particularly in Florida , to curtail L.G.B.T.Q. rights have received prominent attention in the Canadian news media, as has a rise in hate crimes directed toward that community. The Human Rights Campaign has calculated that 520 pieces of legislation to limit or remove the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people have been introduced this year in state legislatures, with 70 of them enacted.

Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, an L.G.B.T.Q. rights group in Toronto, said that while her organization had not heard of Canadians being affected by the state measures, she anticipated that some would inevitably be caught up in them.

“We applaud our government for taking this step,” she said. “It sends a clear message that even our closest neighbor can potentially be a hostile force toward our community.”

There has been far less political momentum in Canada to roll back L.G.B.T.Q. rights, which have strong court protection.

For almost two years, the Atlantic province of New Brunswick had a policy that required teachers to use the preferred names and genders of schoolchildren. Premier Blaine Higgs has changed it to require that teachers obtain the permission of parents if the child is under 16. But the move has not had wide support. Several members of the Legislature, including some cabinet ministers, quit Mr. Higgs’s Progressive Conservative caucus in protest. Despite that backlash, other conservative politicians have suggested that they will follow New Brunswick’s lead.

While the overall threat assessment for travel to the United States remains at the lowest level, the country now joins many others that the Canadian government warns L.G.B.T.Q. travelers about, most in language far stronger than the advice for the United States. The new advisory includes a link to a page of general safety guidance for the community regarding international travel.

Florida and some of the other states that have enacted anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws and policies are popular tourist destinations for Canadians. Ms. Kennedy said that the legislation was increasingly causing L.G.B.T.Q. Canadians making travel plans to ask, “Is this the best place to spend my money?”

A native of Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto and currently lives in Ottawa. He has reported for The Times about Canada for more than a decade. More about Ian Austen

Global Affairs Canada issues LGBTQ2S+ travel advisory for United States

Canada has updated its international travel advisories to warn members of the LGBTQ+ community that they may face discrimination if they travel to some places in the United States.

The move comes after at least 18 U.S. states passed laws that limit or ban certain things relevant to the community, including gender-affirming medical care for minors and teaching about sexual orientation in schools.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also warned in May that threats of violence against the LGBTQ+ community were becoming more frequent and intense.

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Mid-morning Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada changed its U.S. travel advice to include a caveat for LGBTQ+ travellers because "some states have enacted laws and policies" that may affect them.

Unlike similar warnings for several other countries, such as Tanzania or Egypt, Canada's U.S. warning doesn't specify which states, or which of their laws or customs, are of concern. It only says travellers should check the local laws for their destination before travelling.

On a more general page about advice to international LGBTQ+ travellers, the government provides some links to resources to look up relevant laws around the world.

"Carefully consider whether you are comfortable visiting a destination where the laws and social customs affecting (LGBTQ+) people differ from those in Canada," the government warns.

In May, the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign, a U.S.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group, were among several civil rights groups issuing their own travel advisories specifically for Florida. That came after Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, signed into law restrictions on drag shows, the use of bathrooms and the use of preferred pronouns in schools.

Florida teachers are also now required to teach that sex is "an immutable biological trait," and that students must only use the pronoun of the sex on a person's birth certificate. They also cannot teach anything about gender identity or sexual orientation until high school, a law critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The groups said their advice wasn't to avoid Florida at all costs. But they said if people still chose to travel there, they should use the opportunity to speak out against the laws, and if they chose not to, they should be clear about the reason why.

Canada's general page for LGBTQ+ travellers warns that if they elected to use an X on their passport where it identifies gender, they may face discrimination in some places.

When asked about the change, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday that the travel advisories issued by Global Affairs Canada are based on advice from professionals in the department whose job it is to monitor for particular dangers.

She would not say if the Liberals had discussed the matter with U.S. President Biden, but said the relationship with the U.S. is one of the most important for the government.

"We are able to manage that relationship regardless of the choice that the people of the United States make," said Freeland.

"Even as we work hard on that government-to-government relationship, 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 every single group of Canadians."

In a written statement, U.S. Ambassador David Cohen did not directly address the new travel warning but said his country "stands for equality and equal treatment for all."

"The United States is committed to promoting tolerance, inclusion, justice and dignity while helping to advance equality for the LGBTQI+ community," he wrote.

"We all must continue to do this work with our like-minded partners not only in the United States, not only in Canada, but throughout the world."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.

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Canada issues US travel advisory warning LGBTQ+ community about laws that may affect them

FILE - The Canadian and U.S. flags are displayed on lamp posts in the downtown area, March 22, 2023, near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. On Tuesday, Aug. 29, Canada updated its travel advisory to the U.S., warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that some American states have enacted laws that may affect them. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

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TORONTO (AP) — Canada this week updated its travel advisory to the U.S., warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that some American states have enacted laws that may affect them.

The country’s Global Affairs department did not specify which states, but is advising travelers to check the local laws for their destination before traveling.

“Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” Global Affairs spokesman Jérémie Bérubé said Thursday in an emailed statement.

“Outside Canada, laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can be very different from those in Canada,” the statement added. “As a result, Canadians could face certain barriers and risks when they travel outside Canada.”

Bérubé said no Canadians in the U.S. have complained to Global Affairs of how they were treated or kept from expressing their opinions about LGBTQ+ issues.

The NAACP in May issued a travel advisory for Florida warning potential tourists about recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis , including bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.

“Every Canadian government needs to put at the center of everything we do the interests — and the safety — of every single Canadian and every single group of Canadians,” Freeland said.

She did not say whether her government had discussed the matter with its U.S. counterpart.

“It sounds like virtue-signaling by Global Affairs,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

“In no U.S. state, to my knowledge, has any government charged or discriminated against an LGBTQ+ traveler because of their sexual identity or orientation. This all strains the credibility of the department,” he added.

David Mulroney, Canada’s former ambassador to China, also criticized the advisory.

“Travel advisories are meant to highlight things that threaten the safety of Canadian travelers, not things the govt and its supporters disagree with. It’s about danger signaling, not virtue signaling,” Mulroney tweeted.

Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, an LGBTQ+ rights group in Toronto, commended the Canadian government for putting out the advisory.

“There are 500 anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation making their way through various state legislatures at the moment,” Kennedy said. “It’s not a good image on the U.S.”

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The Human Rights Campaign also declared a national state of emergency in June – Pride month.

Canada issues travel advisory for LGBTQ+ residents visiting US

Canadian government issues warning after numerous discriminatory laws passed in Republican-controlled states

LGBTQ+ citizens are at risk when traveling to the US due to numerous discriminatory laws passed at state level, the Canadian government has warned.

“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws,” the government’s website reads.

Although no US state or law was singled out, the news comes after a wave of discriminatory laws passed in predominantly Republican-controlled states. They include Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” law, and bans against drag performances, gender-affirming care bans, transgender sports participation and bathroom use in states such as Kentucky, Texas, and Tennessee.

In a statement to CNN , the global affairs department of the Canadian government said: “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.”

Canada has provided specific guidelines to its LGBTQ+ citizens traveling abroad: “Watch for laws that: criminalize same-sex activities and relationships [and] criminalize people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.

“Some countries may use laws related to ‘vagrancy’, ‘public nuisance’ or ‘public morals’ to criminalize 2SLGBTQI+ people.”

Other groups have issued similar warnings. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency in June – Pride month.

HRC’s website says: “We have officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses this year.”

Earlier this month, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Mélanie Joly, said the government was strategizing ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, especially in the case it moves the US closer to far-right authoritarianism, the National Post reported.

Joly said: “In general, there is our game plan, precisely to be able to manage what could be a rather difficult situation.

“I will work with my colleagues and with the mayors, the provincial premiers, with the business community, with the unions, with everyone in the country, so that we are ready regardless of the election outcome.”

LGBTQ+ rights

Canada issues warning for LGBTQ travelers in the United States

The warning cites laws and policies impacting the LGBTQ community.

Canada's travel advisory for visitors to the United States has been updated to warn LGBTQ travelers about laws and policies that may affect the community.

"Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons," the travel advisory states. "Check relevant state and local laws."

The '2S' abbreviation refers to Two-Spirit, a term used in Indigenous and First Nations communities to describe people who are not straight or cisgender.

The travel advisory page links to a separate page of travel advice for LGBTQ residents, encouraging them to research and follow the laws of the country they are visiting, "even if these laws infringe on your human rights."

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland addressed the new travel advisory Tuesday, backing the decision of Global Affairs Canada, which oversees such advisories.

"Every Canadian government, very much including our government, needs to put at the center of everything we do the interests and the safety of every single Canadian and of every single group of Canadians," Freeland told reporters in a press conference.

She continued, "That's what we're doing now, that's what we're always going to do."

PHOTO: FILE - A participant carries a placard during the Vancouver Pride Parade, Aug. 06, 2023 in Vancouver, Canada.

The U.S. has seen a rise in legislation targeting the LGBTQ community in recent years. Bills have increasingly targeted transgender health care, inclusion of LGBTQ identities in classroom content, public drag performances, and more.

According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) , more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures in 2023, with at least 70 being enacted.

MORE: Killing, harassment spotlight transphobia's impact on all people: advocates

The HRC, one of the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations, in June declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. The organization cited what they described as the record-breaking wave of legislation targeting the LGBTQ community and an increasingly hostile environment.

Ahead of Pride Month, celebrated in June, the Department of Homeland Security in May also warned law enforcement and government agencies about "intensified" threats of violence against the community within the previous year.

According to DHS, about 20% of all hate crimes reported throughout the country in 2021 were motivated by bias linked to sexual orientation and gender, citing the FBI's hate crime statistics.

"The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived — they are real, tangible and dangerous," Kelley Robinson, the president of HRC, said in a statement.

She continued, "In many cases they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk."

Canada warns LGBTQ people of U.S. state laws in updated travel advisory

Canada has updated its travel advisory for the United States to warn LGBTQ travelers that they are at risk of being affected by state and local laws, amid a recent surge in state-level legislation targeting the community .

“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws,” Global Affairs Canada, a government department that oversees the country’s international relations, said in the advisory posted Tuesday. It used the abbreviation “2S” for “two-spirit,” a word used in Canada to describe a spectrum of genders among Indigenous people .

The page also links to broader advice on how LGBTQ people are subject to local laws at their travel destinations, “even if these laws infringe on your human rights.”

Although the advisory did not list any particular state laws or policies, Jérémie Bérubé, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, pointed to legislation passed this year in certain U.S. states “banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” among other restrictions.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a former foreign minister, told reporters Tuesday that the travel advice was updated because Ottawa prioritizes “the interests and the safety of every single Canadian.”

“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, adding that it was “the right thing to do.”

Historic surge in bills targeting transgender rights pass at record speed

In May, U.S.-based human rights groups issued a travel advisory for Florida, noting that the state had passed bills that included limiting the discussion of gender and sexual orientation in classrooms and banning transgender people from using many bathrooms and changing areas.

State legislators across the United States have introduced nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year, according to data compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union . “While not all of these bills will become law, they all cause harm for LGBTQ people,” the ACLU said on its website.

A Washington Post analysis in April found that as of four months into this year’s state legislative sessions, more bills targeting LGBTQ rights — with an emphasis on transgender rights — had become law than at any other time in U.S. history.

Logan S. Casey, who serves as a senior researcher at the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks the legislation, said at the time that the rise in such laws was “part of a very clear and identifiable national effort in state legislatures that is and has been going on for years — and it’s really culminating this year.”

This month, North Carolina barred transgender athletes from competing on women’s or girls’ sports teams and restricted gender-affirming care for minors, while a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender youths passed into law in Louisiana.

In Texas, a law that would prevent young people from medically transitioning genders and prohibit the use of Medicaid to pay for such treatments is set to take effect this week.

In Canada, those seeking to target LGBTQ rights through legislation have had far less success. But they often employ the same language and tactics of their U.S. counterparts, advocates for the LGBTQ community say.

New Brunswick leader: Teachers can’t use student pronouns without parent okay

The province of New Brunswick has this year been roiled by changes to a policy that would bar teachers from identifying students under 16 by the pronouns and names of their choosing without the consent of their parents.

Advocates for LGBTQ students argue that the change risks outing children to parents who might not be supportive and jeopardizing their safety. Blaine Higgs, the province’s premier, has defended the changes as necessary for protecting the rights of parents.

He told the provincial legislature that gender dysphoria is becoming “popular and trendy” because there is “such acceptance that ‘Okay, this is fine,’” and he has railed against “drag story time” for young students, echoing the language of U.S. lawmakers.

New Brunswick’s child and youth advocate said in a report this month that the changes violate rights protected by Canada’s constitution. The province of Saskatchewan has introduced a similar policy.

Amanda Coletta contributed to this report.

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Watch CBS News

Canada warns LGBTQ travelers to U.S. to be cautious of local laws

By Aliza Chasan

August 29, 2023 / 9:08 PM EDT / CBS News

Canada updated its international travel advisory on Tuesday to warn LGBTQ+ travelers of laws and policies in some U.S. states.

The advisory extends to U.S.-bound Canadians who are 2SLGBTQI+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex and more).

The advisory could impact an estimated 1 million LGBTQ+ Canadians .

While the advisory doesn't dive into specific U.S. states or policies, a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson pointed to laws passed in the U.S. this year banning drag shows , restricting gender-affirming care and blocking participation in sporting events.

The American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking 495 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S.

The Canadian government's LGBT Travel webpage notes that around the world, travelers can face barriers and risks outside Canada.

"Foreign laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) can be very different from those in Canada," the website says.

Travel advisories and advice are only issued after a thorough analysis of information sources, including consular trends observed by Canadian diplomats, according to Global Affairs Canada.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a former foreign affairs minister, said Tuesday that she supported the update, CBC reported.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marching at the 39th Annual Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday June 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.

"Every Canadian government, very much including our government, needs to put at the center 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."

When asked about Canada's updated travel advisory, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "The United States is committed to promoting tolerance, inclusion, justice, and dignity while helping to advance the equality and human rights of LGBTQI+ persons. We all must continue to do this work with our like-minded partners not only in the United States, not only in Canada, but throughout the world."

Within the U.S., the Human Rights Campaign issued its own travel advisory for LGBTQ+ travelers in Florida in recent months. In June, the organization went a step further and declared a " state of emergency " for LGBTQ+ Americans. Alongside the national warning, the organization issued a guidebook to help LGBTQ+ residents and travelers stay safe.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Canada warns LGBTQ+ community about visiting the U.S., where ‘certain states’ have passed laws banning drag shows and trans care

U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canada this week updated its travel advisory to the U.S., warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that some American states have enacted laws that may affect them.