The US is not safe for LGBTI people everywhere because of laws and local rules

Such restrictions are in force in ‘certain states’. So reports The Canadian government’s website offers travelers who consider themselves ‘2slgbtqi+‘-group. The advisory does not specify what problems specific states or populations may face. Anyone crossing the border should take into account that foreign laws and customs may ‘differ slightly’ from the prevailing views in Canada.

In an explanation to the US news channel CBS, a spokesperson for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs points to laws that came into effect in the United States this year. For example, drag shows were banned, medical treatment for heterosexuals was limited and the same team was excluded from sporting events.

States in the United States have certain laws and regulations that may affect anyone who is gender non-conforming or who identifies differently as male or female. This is evident from the list of the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that has stood up for civil rights since 1920.

The ACLU has now counted 495 bills that limit the rights of LGBTI people. About eighty have been accepted, nearly two hundred are being implemented, and over two hundred have been voted on. There is virtually no US government that has not taken or proposed action.

Green

Asked why travel advisories for the U.S. had been adjusted at this point, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland replied that ‘the government is closely monitoring whether there are particular risks to particular groups of Canadians somewhere in the world.’

Freeland declined to tell reporters whether there had been consultations with the U.S. government. The overall risk profile for the US remains green. That means travelers should only follow routine recommendations that increase their chances of staying safely elsewhere.

The US State Department says the US is committed to tolerance, inclusion and justice for all. The country is working with like-minded people around the world to achieve that goal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands has also indicated Travel advice on other things in the US Can apply. “People’s attitude varies from state to state. Some states have introduced local laws that may have negative consequences for LGBTQ+ people, for example when it comes to access to health care.”

For more information, see the Ministry’s Human Rights Campaign website. The US organization issued its own travel advisory for Florida, with local politicians highly critical of anything that deviates from the norm. In June, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of national emergency.