We thought that kind of warning was reserved for a handful of reactionary countries that don’t respect human rights. We have to believe that the United States is now part of that list. On Tuesday, August 29, the Canadian government issued a warning to LGBT+ people planning to travel to the United States. Reasons: It might be risky for them to travel to multiple states.

Ottawa recommends in particular “Check local laws” regarding “Laws and policies that could [les] influence” in some US states. This type of warning is posted on the State Department’s website and is usually aimed at countries known for their violations of LGBT+ rights, such as Russia, Egypt or Uganda. In general, travel advisories issued by the Canadian government concern risks related to situations of political instability or natural disasters.

Asked about this Tuesday, August 30th, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stressed at a press conference that this decision was not political. “We have officials in government whose job it is to monitor what is happening in the world and to monitor the particular dangers that lurk in particular for certain groups of Canadians.” she explained.

Anti-LGBT crusade in some states

Ottawa’s advice comes at a time when anti-LGBT+ rhetoric in the United States has met an avalanche of anti-transgender legislation enacted by conservative politicians and targeted boycotts of brands like Target supermarkets targeting LGBT+ -Support concerns, escalated. Last June, for the first time, the US Supreme Court authorized certain companies to exclude LGBT+ customers on religious grounds.

Canada, a country of 40 million people, has about a million LGBT+ people, according to Statistics Canada. With 2.8 million visitors in June alone, the United States is the number one travel destination for Canadians.