I fully agree that Canada’s not a progressive safe haven, but I think for now queer people are still better off pretty much anywhere in Canada than in Texas. Let’s all agree that this isn’t much of an accomplishment.

However, I live in New-Brunswick, whose Conservative government has been at the forefront of the recent uprise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in Canada. At work, I wear a pronoun pin. I’ve worn dresses and nail polish (as a person who was AMAB) out anywhere, from sketchy clubs downtown to Tim Horton’s in rural villages. I’ve been made to feel uncomfortable at times, sure, but I’ve very rarely felt truly unsafe being visibly queer in Canada. From the perspectives of southern American queers I’ve read, that doesn’t seem to be the experience in places like Texas (outside of progressive bubbles such as Austin).

That’s not to say the situation in Canada vis-à-vis LGTBQ+ rights and well-being isn’t incredibly worrying. With folks like Blaine Higgs, Scott Moe, and potentially Pierre Poilievre running things, plus the everlasting importing of American political talking points, Canada could very well become as inhospitable for queer people as anywhere in the US. In NB, Higgs is already gearing to use the “parents rights” anti-queer dogwhistle as his main campaign issue for the next election. My friends and I have all been called groomers by anti-queer protesters, some have even had their pride flags ripped away from them and stomped on.

Sorry this comment kinda got long and ranty. TL;DR: Shit sucks for queer people in Canada and will quite possibly get much worse very quickly but I still think we’re better off than Texan queers (for now).