Latest news with #LGBTQ2S
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
New book on 1977 gay bar raid in Montreal
The 1977 police raid at Montreal gay bar Truxx was a turning point for LGBTQ2S+ rights in Quebec and Canada. Local author Ben Ladouceur has penned a new book inspired by the raid.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
LGBTQ2S+ refugee group says number of requests for help has increased
Rahma Esslouani, a non-binary person from Morocco who came to Canada in July 2024 under the Government Assisted Refugee program, poses for a portrait at Barbara Hall Park, in Toronto, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini OTTAWA — An organization that helps LGBTQ2S+ people file refugee claims says it has seen a spike in pleas for assistance from around the world since 2020. Devon Matthews, program head with Rainbow Railroad, said the explosion in the number of requests for help reflects a trend of nations backsliding on LGBTQ2S+ rights — or even embracing a policy of persecution. 'This isn't just the United States that we're seeing this in,' she said. 'More broadly worldwide, we are seeing some particularly terrifying xenophobia, anti-refugee sentiment and queer phobia in many countries around the world, including in Europe and across different regions in which we work on the ground.' Republican state and federal officials in the U.S. have been working for years to limit the rights of LGBTQ2S+ Americans and have imposed rules on which sports transgender students can play and which bathrooms they can use, among other policies. The Rainbow Railroad says it's now working with Ottawa to divert from the U.S. to Canada a handful of refugee claims filed by LGBTQ2S+ claimants. Matthews said her organization was fielding 27 applications representing 36 people who were bound for the U.S. at the start of the year. Some of the applicants filed as couples. She said 28 of those applicants changed their minds about moving to the United States after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. 'So we've had to pivot our plans for those 28 individuals to come to Canada to the best of our abilities,' she said. 'Obviously, it's a very complex process to switch all of the different logistics and paperwork, and people are in extremely dire situations, but we've been doing what we can.' Matthews said that this kind of switch isn't allowed normally but Ottawa is making an exception. Matthews said these refugee claimants would not be covered by the Safe Third Country Agreement — which says an asylum seeker must stay in the first safe country they reach — because they have not entered the U.S. The claimants are currently living in Brazil, Columbia, Uganda and nine other African countries. A spokeswoman from Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office said in an emailed reply that the office can't comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation. She added that Canada has a 'proud history' of resettling vulnerable people, including LGBTQ2S+ refugees, and the government works with groups like Rainbow Railroad to identify LGBTQ2S+ refugees and their families for resettlement. Rahma Esslouani made it to Canada with Rainbow Railroad's help. Esslouani is originally from Morocco, where same-sex relationships are illegal. 'I faced violence, physically and psychologically, from my family, from society, discrimination, persecution. So I don't have rights to wear what I'm going to wear. I don't have rights to be myself, to be who I am. I have to follow the culture,' Esslouani said. 'My family wanted to force me to get married, so this makes me feel like I can't accept a marriage to a man. So that is the main and biggest reason to escape through Turkiye.' Esslouani said they faced continued persecution in Turkiye, where non-binary status is not recognized under the law. While it's not illegal to be in a same-sex relationship or to be gender non-conforming in Turkiye, so-called 'offences against public morals' have been used to target LGBTQ2S+ people. Esslouani said they were arrested in Turkiye. 'I realized that it is dangerous to exist and to be myself as queer, non-binary person,' they said. After that arrest, Esslouani contacted Rainbow Railroad. 'I remember the first the email that I received said, 'We are with you. You are not alone,'' Esslouani said. 'I read it again and again and again because of like, happiness with this world that finally someone heard my story and gives me hope, that I have to resist and not give up.' Esslouani finally came to Canada in July 2024, just missing Pride Month in Toronto. They said it's 'a dream come true' to live here after a lifetime of hiding. 'So finally, I'm going to be myself. I'm going to be out in public and can be myself and introduce my sexuality in public, and live, walk and talk freely and not be scared of the police or that people will judge me or to feel shame or afraid,' Esslouani said. 'There is love between people here. Everyone supports each other. There is no judgment, no fear. So I feel that I am no longer just surviving, but I am alive.' Rainbow Railroad receives a yearly allotment of 250 spots in Government Assisted Refugee program to help people like Esslouani come to Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Police seek witnesses, info after Oshawa home defaced with anti-LGBTQ2S+ slurs
A Durham Regional Police officer's logo emblem is shown in Bowmanville, Ont. on Tuesday Feb. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives Police in Durham Region are seeking witnesses and information following a hate-motivated incident in Oshawa they say was directed at the LGBTQ2S+ community. On Sunday, at about 2:50 p.m., police said they attended a call for mischief call at a home near Adelaide Avenue East and Townline Road North. At the scene, officers from East Division said they found a person's property that had been defaced with 'hateful and derogatory slurs.' Investigators said they believe the victim's residence was 'specifically targeted.' 'We are deeply concerned and disheartened by this act of hate and property damage directed toward the LGBTQ2S+ community and all those impacted by this senseless act,' police said in a news release. 'Everyone deserves to feel safe and accepted for who they are.' An investigation is now underway and police say they're 'committed to ensuring those responsible are held accountable.' Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to contact Det. Const. Cronin, of Durham police's East Division Criminal Investigations Branch, at 1-888-579-1520 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Toronto police board to formalize how and when it says ‘sorry'
The Toronto Police Services emblem is photographed during a press conference at TPS headquarters, in Toronto on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov The Toronto Police Services Board is considering adopting a new policy that would set out how the police force offers formal apologies — who approves them, how they're delivered, and how victims are consulted. The policy is set to go before a board meeting on Thursday, If approved, it will apply to any formal apologies issued by Toronto's police chief or the board itself. Staff say that the policy is intended to 'build trust between the Service and the communities of Toronto.' But, the proposed policy also stipulates that no apology should be seen as an admission of legal liability. The move follows several high-profile apologies from the Toronto Police Service in recent years. In 2022, then-Chief James Ramer issued an 'unreserved' apology after race-based data showed that Black residents were significantly more likely to face police enforcement and use-of-force incidents. However, critics like University of Toronto professor Beverly Bain rejected the apology as lacking substance. A year earlier, Ramer also apologized for failings in missing persons investigations tied to serial killer Bruce McArthur. A report by retired judge Gloria Epstein found the disappearances of LGBTQ2S+ men in the Village were not taken seriously enough. Ramer called the findings 'inexcusable.' 'We recognize that there is more work ahead on many fronts,' Chief Myron Demkiw, wrote in a letter accompanying the proposed apology policy. 'We must continue to strengthen our relationships with various partners and communities across the city to build a solid safety network.' What's proposed in the new rules? Under the proposed policy, when apologies are made to communities over systemic or historical wrongs, police leadership will be required to strike an advisory group composed of key community representatives. That group will provide advice, cultural significance, and information to construct a formal apology, the staff report said. Apologies to individuals will require officials to consult with the impacted individual or their family prior to any formal apology. The board has not said when the final vote on the policy will take place. If approved, the guidelines would become a standard operating framework for all formal apologies moving forward. With files from CP24's Joanna Lavoie...
CTV News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
WorldPride paraders march through Washington in defiance of Trump
Participants carry a large pride flag during the WorldPride parade with the U.S. Capitol in the background, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) LGBTQ2S+ people and supporters from around the world marched through the streets of Washington on Saturday in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump's rollback of queer rights. The parade route passed within one block of the White House grounds in one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration. On Sunday a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the U.S. civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963. The parade route was lined with members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and allies like Carrie Blanton, a 58-year-old school teacher from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who was attending her first event for LGBTQ2S+ rights, saying her religious beliefs previously kept her from showing support. 'I wanted to grow as a Christian and realized my own hard-heartedness. This is a way to give back to the community for having been so cold-hearted in the past. God is here for everyone,' said Blanton, who voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election and for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2020. Girard Bucello, 30, a queer writer from Washington, staked out a position near the White House before the head of the parade arrived, saying there was 'no better place' than the U.S. capital for WorldPride. 'Showing up in D.C. is a way for us to feel safe in a moment that does not feel safe,' Bucello said. Washington was chosen as the site for WorldPride before Trump won the 2024 election. Since returning to office in January, the Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces. Moreover, the White House said it has appointed a number of openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalize homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' aimed to cut HIV infections by 90% by 2030. 'The President is honored to serve all Americans,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. 'Frustrated and disappointed' Event organizers said they were unaware of any counterprotests or anti-LGBTQ2S+ demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday. The National Park Service, however, fenced off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the U.S. Park Police, which said closure was necessary to 'secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences.' Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride events, said it was 'frustrated and disappointed' at the closure. 'This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honor. It's much more than a park, for generations it's been a gathering place for DC's LGBTQ2S+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting,' the alliance said. Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Donna Bryson and Paul Simao
