by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Fri September 1, 2023
There’s a new reason why travelers are being warned to be cautious while traveling to the United States, and it’s not gun violence this time: it’s local restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community.
The Canadian government recently updated its travel advisory page for Canadians heading to the U.S. this week, adding a section about how “Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons.”
The “2S” in Canada’s acronym is used to describe a segment of those belonging to the LGBTQ+ community as Two-Spirit, which is used as a third gender designation among several First Nations groups in Canada.
According to CNN, the updated advice for travelers comes following the Human Rights Campaign’s national state of emergency declaration for LGBTQ+ people in the United States in June.
“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 every single group of Canadians,” said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland during a briefing on August 29.
“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,” said Freeland. “That’s their job and it’s the right thing to do.”
Restrictions on members of the LGBTQ+ community can range from banning drag to bans on gender-affirming care and more.
One of the biggest destinations making headlines earlier this year was Florida, sparking criticism for its rules hostile to women, immigrants and other minorities, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. Several of the restrictions made organizations like Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign to issue travel warnings for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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