Canada Issues Travel Warning to the U.S., Uganda Invokes Death Penalty in New Anti-gay/lesbian Law

Canada

Canada has updated its international travel advisories, citing the risk of potential dangers, to warn LGBTQ+ Canadians that they may face harassment, discrimination or violence if they travel to the U.S. On Aug. 29, Global Affairs Canada changed its U.S. travel advice to include a caveat for LGBTQ+ travelers because “some states have enacted laws and policies” that may affect them. Canada’s travel advisory for the United States now includes a cautionary message for those who consider themselves two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or intersex, or 2SLGBTQI+.

The travel advisory is in response to the volume of anti-LGBTQ+ laws passed in nearly half of U.S. states that limit or ban gender-affirming and gay/lesbian medical care, teaching about sexual orientation in schools and banning books with LGBTQ+ content in libraries. There have also been a series of high-profile LGBTQ+ hate crime murders in recent weeks, including internationally known Philadelphia dancer O’Shae Sibley and shop owner and mother of nine Lauri Carleton.

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

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters during a press conference Tuesday that the nation’s updated travel advisory is not politically motivated and is meant to keep Canadian citizens as safe as possible abroad.

“As someone who has had the real privilege of serving as Canada’s foreign minister, I know that our travel advisories are done very professionally,” she said.

Freeland said, “We have professionals in the government whose job is to look carefully around the world