Toronto Solidarity Protest against Uganda’s ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ March 2023 Photo: ©Brayo Bryans
In 2023 alone, Canada has seen a surge in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate motivated attacks through vandalism of Pride flags in peoples homes, schools in Nova Scotia, and Halifax, and anti-2SLGTBQIA+ protests at a children's drag story event in Montreal. In April 2023, the township of Norwich, Ontario voted to exclude pride and other non-civic flags from being displayed on municipal property. In the same month, a youth-led anti-trans group called Save Canada disrupted an International Day of Pink event being held at a local school in Ontario that was commemorating North America’s 2SLGBTQIA+ civil rights movement known as the Stonewall Riots.
“More anti-LGBT+ demonstration events have already been recorded in Canada so far this year than in all of 2021 and 2023 is on track to exceed 2022.”
- Sam Jones, Armed Conflict Location and Data Project.”
In the face of rising hate, violence, abuse and attacks on the human rights of 2SLGTBQIA+ communities, we need urgent action to prevent hate from gaining more traction in Canada.