Rainbow Railroad

• Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advice for the United States to warn LGBTQ+ travellers about state laws that may affect them.
• Hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in U.S. state legislatures and dozens have been enacted.
• Canada is often seen as a more welcoming country and has become an attractive destination for many seeking to emigrate.

Challenges for LGBTQ+ newcomers

• Unfortunately, there is a lot more work needed to make the transition of LGBTQ+ refugees safe and welcoming.
• LGBTQ+ Canadians face challenges in society that other groups do not.
• LGBTQ+ newcomers often face the choice between living their true identity or hiding it in order to find acceptance.
• Newcomers often rely on relatives who are already established in Canada.
• While the transition to another country is difficult for all newcomers, support from an ethnic or religious community can make it easier.

Creating a supportive environment

• The portrayal of Canada as a warm and welcoming country is not always the reality for those who come here.
• First, ensure that the refugee process is more LGBTQ+ friendly and is not based off of western stereotypes.
• Second, Canada can make more of an effort to connect individuals with communities that support the rights of sexual minorities.
• By taking these steps, Canada could live up to the image that all people of all backgrounds are truly welcome here.

• The newly passed Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda has made a country that was already dangerous for LGBTQ+ people truly treacherous.
• Many countries around the world are moving towards decriminalising same-sex relations (most recently Barbados, Singapore and the Cook Islands).
• This increasing hostility towards LGBTQ+ people in some African nations is causing many to flee.

LGTBQ+ Ugandans have few options

• Kenya is the most common destination for asylum seekers fleeing Uganda.
• LGBTQ+ Ugandans in one Kenyan refugee camp reported facing daily hostilities, saying the situation there is “as terrible as you can imagine”.
• In Australia, for example, just 1,100 asylum seekers were granted a protection visa because of their sexual orientation from 2018-23.

What international refugee treaties say

The 1951 Refugee Convention is the leading international treaty governing the rights of people seeking asylum. When it was drafted, however, homosexuality was still a crime in a majority of countries. As a result, LGBTQ+ people are not explicitly protected by the convention, even today. The convention defines a refugee as a person who has a well-founded fear of persecution based on
• Finally, in 2008, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees issued guidance on refugee claims relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.
• But many refugee claims made by LGBTQ+ people are still unsuccessful.

Reasons LGBTQ+ refugees are turned down

• Then, in December 2003, the High Court ruled it is fundamentally wrong to expect a person to hide their sexual orientation in order to be safe from persecution.
• This, however, did not result in the expected increase in successful asylum seeker applications.
• Many LGBTQ+ people found themselves facing a new obstacle – officials questioning whether they were, in fact, members of the LGBTQ+ community.
• And four in ten were turned down because officials didn’t believe they were at risk of persecution in their home countries.

Is there a path forward?

• Many western countries have opened their arms to refugees fleeing war in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and most recently, Ukraine.
• But armed conflict is not the only reason people need to flee their countries.

• OTTAWA, ON, June 20, 2023 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on World Refugee Day:
  "Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
• Today, on World Refugee Day, we recognize the strength and resilience shown by refugees, and we reaffirm our commitment to welcome and protect them here in Canada.
• And Canada is stepping up: In 2022, for the fourth year in a row, we were the top country in the world to resettle refugees.
• Learn how to apply for refugee status from within Canada, find out how to come to Canada as a refugee, sponsor a refugee, or find refugee services in Canada at Canada.ca/refugees .

• For every rainbow deposited, BMO will donate $1 to Rainbow Railroad , up to $50,000 CAD.
• Rainbow Railroad is a global non-profit organization that helps at-risk members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community get to safety.
• Since its inception in 2006, Rainbow Railroad has helped more than 9,263 2SLGBTQ+ individuals from 69 different countries.
• The BMO Pride Employee Resource Group, consisting of 2,100 2SLGBTQ+ and ally employees guides the bank's commemoration and celebration of Pride.