Policy: There were 30 times more anti-LGBT+ protests in the United States last year than in 2017, according to Reuters. At the same time, the rhetoric has hardened and several states have introduced laws targeting the LGBT+ community.

Canadian travel advisories do not specify which states are in question. The US State Department says in a statement that the United States is committed to “promoting tolerance, inclusion, justice and dignity”, and also to working for the rights of LGBT + people.

When asked why travel advisories were updated, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland replied that the government has hired experts who “watch the world closely and assess whether there are particular dangers for certain groups of Canadians”.

She did not respond whether the Biden administration had been contacted before the advice update.

The United States is the number one tourist destination for Canadians. In June alone, around 2.8 million trips were made to the neighboring country to the south. According to official figures, around one million people, or 4 percent of the country’s population over the age of 15, are lesbian, gay, bisexual or have an orientation other than heterosexuality.

(©NTB)