As the United States tightens its stance on gender, Muskoka’s LGBTQ2IA+ community feels the growing pressure of discrimination and division.
“Human rights are not up for debate,” said Shawn Forth, Muskoka Pride representative and co-founder.
What is the policy?
On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.
“It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” the document reads.
What is Muskoka Pride’s response?
Gender is much more complex and nuanced than this policy suggests, Forth said, and introducing additional barriers through government policies only exacerbates the challenges faced by many individuals.
“Gender is a very complicated topic,” Forth said. “Those who are able to live within the gender binary can be very oblivious to how complex and complicated gender can be.”
While the policy is enacted in the States, Forth said Canadians are still feeling the effects of it.
“The U.S. is our neighbour to the south. We know that a lot of what happens there will find its way into Canada,” he said.
Muskoka Pride social media pages have been receiving an influx of extreme comments and messages from “keyboard warriors” using vulgar language directed toward members of the LGBTQ2IA+ community, Forth said.
He highlighted this as an ongoing issue in the area, referencing a 2022 incident where protesters disrupted a family-friendly drag show in Gravenhurst with harassing and homophobic behaviour, leading to one arrest.
“Some of the things that were being shouted at our volunteers and at the community members who were choosing to attend this event were absolutely atrocious,” Forth recalled.
What lies ahead?
Moving forward, the organization will continue to educate the public on how divisive and harmful these policies are for the LGBTQ2IA+ community all over the globe.
“It really does come down to someone knowing the facts and actually taking the time to understand what's really being said and how these different policies could be happening in the U.S., but could find a way to Canada and actually impact residents of Muskoka,” Forth said.
Spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said Global Affairs Canada is aware of Trump’s executive order on the recognition of gender on government-issued identification and is closely monitoring this development.
“Each country decides who enters its borders,” MacLeod said in an emailed statement. “The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller.”
The government encourages LGBTQ2IA+ travellers to visit its webpage offering resources regarding travel and sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.
“I think a lot of people who are part of the queer community in Muskoka and Canada are going to think twice about where they do travel,” Forth said. “They're certainly going to be looking at which states are the most inclusive and welcoming.”
Global Affairs regularly posts travel advice on X (formerly Twitter) and its website.
Megan Hederson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Huntsville and Lake of Bays for MuskokaRegion.com. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada