State-sanctioned LGBTQ discrimination continues, advocates say
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for past state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBTQ people in Canada, but advocates argue his Liberal government could be doing more to stop it from happening now.
“I think there’s a lot of work to do,” said Gary Lacasse, executive director of the Canadian AIDS Society.
“We do believe that the apology was a step in the right direction, but it does not mend all the fences.”
Trudeau acknowledged as much during his speech, referring to remaining restrictions on sexually active gay men donating blood and the ongoing criminalization of those who do not disclose their HIV-positive status to sexual partners, even if there is no transmission of the virus.