THE GUARDIAN: LGBTQ+ people in the US contemplate heading north as they wrestle with the president’s assault on the community
The number of LGBTQ+ Americans inquiring about moving to Canada has soared since Donald Trump’s re-election, campaigners have said, as people across the US wrestle with the fallout of rising anti-gay rhetoric, anti-trans executive orders, and the more than 600 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights.
“So much is happening in the US right now and a lot of it is terrifying,” said Latoya Nugent of Rainbow Railroad, a North American charity that helps LGBTQI+ individuals escape violence and persecution in their home countries.
In the first eight months of this year, the organisation has received 4,197 calls from people living in the US – a surge of 760% compared with the same period last year. “The overwhelming majority of individuals who are reaching out want support with international relocation, which translates to ‘I want to get out of the US because I’m afraid of living here,’” said Nugent.
The phones at Rainbow Railroad – which usually receives about 12,000 calls a year from around the world – began lighting up in November, as more than 1,100 calls poured in within 24 hours after Trump’s re-election. “For the first time in our history, the US emerged as the number one country where people request help from,” said Nugent. » | Ashifa Kassam | Sunday, September 7, 2025
All this is happening and our king is nevertheless going to entertain Trump to an unprecedented second state visit. Go figure! — © Mark Alexander
