rainbow-haired teens kiss
outside the U.S. Consulate --
this land of the freer?
FYI: Los Angeles Times, June 6: "Anti-LGBTQ+ laws put U.S. in a state of emergency, Human Rights Campaign says"
At least 525 bills that the HRC characterized as anti-LGBTQ+ have been introduced across 41 state legislatures during this legislative session, and 76 have been signed into law — more than double the record reached last year, according to the organization. More than 220 of the introduced bills targeted the transgender community, the group found.
CBC News, June 8: "LGBTQ Canadians facing a rising tide of hatred, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says."
The number of police-reported hate crimes related to sexual orientation rose 64 per cent in 2021 over the previous year, says Statistics Canada.
And CTV News, June 5: "Pride events in Canada facing higher safety and security costs, feds offer $1.5M"
Every day, we witness attacks in person at events and online targeting community leaders, event organizers, elected representatives, venues, artists and performers, families and young people.
-- Fierté Canada Pride, the National Association of Canadian Pride Organizations
