Canada
Canada lifts gay blood donor ban
It’s 1st time Statistics Canada differentiated between “sex at birth” & “gender” in census- 3 mo. donor deferral period for gay/bi men ends

Health Canada approved Canadian Blood Servicesā submission to eliminate the three-month donor deferral period for gay and bisexual men as well as some other folks in the LGBTQ+ community CTV NewsĀ reported Thursday.
The policy change, which was years in the making, will allow Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to introduce the new behavior-based questionnaire by Sept. 30. It will apply to both blood and plasma donations. CBS will be able to screen all donors regardless of gender or sexuality. Instead, donors will be screened based on their sexual behaviors.
#BREAKING: Health Canada has given the green light to lift restrictions on blood donations from men who have sex with men.https://t.co/vfynftXT91
ā Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) April 28, 2022
Health Canada has authorized Canadian Blood Servicesā submission to eliminate the 3-month donor deferral period for men who have sex with men, and instead screen all donors for high-risk sexual behaviourhttps://t.co/qCsCAIOWTN
ā GC Newsroom (@NewsroomGC) April 28, 2022
Census data released Wednesday offers an unprecedented snapshot of Canada’s transgender population, showing 0.33 per cent of residents identify as a gender that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
The data collected during last year’s national household survey shows about 100,815 people are transgender or non-binary, including 31,555 who are transgender women, 27,905 who are transgender men and 41,355 who are non-binary, CTV News reported.
It’s the first time Statistics Canada has differentiated between “sex at birth” and “gender” in the census. While the agency and advocates agree the new numbers likely underestimate the true size of the population, they say the data will offer crucial insight into a marginalized community.
Fae Johnstone, a transgender advocate, told CTV that population-level data backing up trans people’s lived experience has thus far been slim, so this new information is important both symbolically and practically.
“It says something when our government is recognizing the existence of trans folks who have historically been kept out of these conversations and uncounted,” Johnstone said. “But it also is useful to us to better understand how we can focus interventions and address health inequities experienced by trans folks across this country.”
New data from the #2021Census are now available:
ā Statistics Canada (@StatCan_eng) April 27, 2022
ā¢ Age and type of dwelling: https://t.co/8LCaDd0lM9
ā¢ Sex at birth and gender: https://t.co/RVLsQFLzAQ
Check out the thread below for some key highlights: š pic.twitter.com/PWHW7Gmbh2
Canada
Canadian LGBTQ group cancels WorldPride participation over Trump policies
Egale Canada cites need to āsafeguard our trans and nonbinary staffā

Egale Canada, one of Canadaās largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, announced in a Feb. 6 statement that its members will not be attending any events in the U.S., including WorldPride set to take place in Washington from May 17-June 8, because of policies put in place by President Donald Trump.
The statement says the decision not to come to the U.S. resulted in its cancellation of plans to attend a meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at U.N. headquarters in New York in March, at which it planned to discuss LGBTQ related issues.
āAfter deep consideration, we have decided not to engage in-person in this yearās Commission on the Status of Women or any other UN, OAS (Organization of American States or global convergings, including WorldPride, taking place in the United States in the foreseeable future,ā the statement says.
āThis decision is foremost based on the need to safeguard our trans and nonbinary staff who would face questionable treatment at land and aviation borders to attend such convenings, and to stand in solidarity with global colleagues who are experiencing similar fear around entry to the U.S.,ā the statement continues.
āIt is also founded in the unique situation that has been thrust on Canadians (and citizens of other countries) regarding economic warfare and threats to our national sovereignty,ā according to the statement. āWe cannot in good conscience engage in a process of disentangling our organization from the U.S. goods and services (as we have recently released in a statement) and then proceed to travel to the U.S.ā
The Egale Canada statement marks the first known time that an international LGBTQ rights organization has declared it will not come to the U.S. to attend WorldPride because of the controversial policies adopted by the Trump-Vance administration, which so far have included a roll back of programs and policies in support of transgender people.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced he will resign as the leader of his Liberal Party.
The announcement, which came against the backdrop of growing calls for the embattled prime minister to resign that increased after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was the country’s deputy prime minister, stepped down from the government last month, will set the stage for national elections that must take place before Oct. 20.
CNN notes polls show the Liberal Party would lose to the Conservative Party of which anti-LGBTQ MP Pierre Poilievre is the leader.
Trudeau became prime minister in 2015 when he defeated then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was Canada’s prime minister from 1968-1979 and from 1980-1984.
The younger Trudeau is the first Canadian prime minister to have marched in a Pride parade.
Canada in 2022 banned so-called conversion therapy, which Justin Trudeau described as a “hateful and harmful practice.” Justin Trudeau in 2017 also formally apologized to Canadians who suffered persecution and discrimination under the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws ā including those convicted of “gross indecency” before Canada decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations ā and policies
āWe have failed to (protect) LGBTQ2 communities, individuals time and time again,ā he said. āIt is with shame and sorrow and deep regret that the things we have done that I stand here today and say we were wrong, we apologize. I am sorry. We are sorry.ā
The Washington Blade will update this story.
Canada
Toronto Pride parade cancelled after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt it
Protest took place more than three hours after it began

Toronto Pride parade organizers on Sunday cancelled the annual event after a group of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted it.
Media reports indicate more than two dozen protesters blocked the parade near the intersection of Yonge and Wellesley Streets, and chanted “from the river to the sea” and “Pride was a riot.”
The pro-Palestinian protestors that brought the Toronto Pride Parade to a stop chant the genocidal āFrom the river to the seaā slogan as they continue to block the paradeās path.
Footage by @BethBaisch pic.twitter.com/SMldTpLFvk
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 30, 2024
The Toronto StarĀ reportedĀ the protesters disrupted the parade at around 5:30 p.m., more than three hours after it began. Toronto Pride around 45 minutes later announced the parade’s cancellation.
“Today, we made the decision to cancel the remainder of the Pride Parade out of our commitment to ensuring public safety,” they said in a statement. “While we deeply respect and uphold everyone’s right to peacefully protest, our foremost priority is the well-being of all participants and spectators.”
“We recognize the Pride parade as a highly anticipated event that many organizations and individuals eagerly prepare for,” it added. “We empathize with those who were looking forward to participating and regret any inconvenience caused by this decision.”
The Coalition Against Pinkwashing organized the protest.
Protesters disrupt NYC Pride parade
This yearās Pride Month took place eight months after Hamas launched its surprise attack against southern Israel.
The Israeli government says Hamas militants killed roughly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, including at least 260 partygoers and others at the Nova Music Festival. The Israeli government says upwards of 80 people who were taken hostage on Oct. 7 remain alive in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says more than 35,000 people have died in the enclave since the war began. The National LGBTQ Task Force and Outright International are among the groups that have called for a ceasefire.
The New York Daily News reported the New York Police Department on Sunday arrested 10 pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted the city’s annual Pride parade near the Stonewall Inn. The newspaper said those who the NYPD took into custody, among other things, threw red paint onto a pickup truck inside police barricades.
The Telegraph on SaturdayĀ reportedĀ London police arrested more than 30 pro-Palestinian activists to prevent them from disrupting the city’s annual Pride parade that took place on the same day.
A Wider Bridge, a group that “advocates for justice, counters LGBTQphobia, and fights antisemitism and other forms of hatred,ā last month called upon Pride organizers to ensure Jewish can safely participate in their events.
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