The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia:

“Everyone should be able to be who they are and love who they love, free from discrimination and hate. This year’s theme for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, ‘Together Always: United in Diversity’, emphasizes that when we all come together – from different gender identities, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds of all kinds – we can make the world a better place for 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada and around the world.

“In recent years, we have taken significant action to make Canada a safer place for people from the 2SLGBTQI+ community. We updated laws to protect gender identity and gender expression, I apologized on behalf of the Government of Canada in the House of Commons for the systemic oppression, rejection, and criminalization of 2SLGBTQI+ people, and we criminalized conversion therapy, to name a few. But people from the 2SLGBTQI+ community, particularly transgender people, are still facing a crisis of targeted violence in Canada and across the globe. In recognition of the work that still needs to be done to reverse historical wrongs and chart a better future, the government recently launched the first-ever federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan – a whole-of-government approach to strengthen rights and promote equality.

“Canada continues to actively promote 2SLGBTQI+ human rights on the world stage, and address the ongoing, widespread criminalization, discrimination, and violence faced by these communities. Through our international assistance, Canada is investing to advance human rights and improve socio-economic outcomes for 2SLGBTQI+ communities in developing countries.

“Today, I thank the many organizations across Canada and around the world who are supporting people and fighting for 2SLGBTQI+ rights, including Fondation Émergence, which created the first day against homophobia in Canada in 2003. I encourage all Canadians to join me in speaking up against homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and discrimination and violence in all its forms. Together, we can build a better future, with pride.”