Latest news with #LGBTQ2
Global News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Parks Canada pulls plug on controversial MAGA musician's concert in Halifax
A controversial concert by a rising MAGA musician that was scheduled for a national historic site in Halifax has been cancelled by Parks Canada, but the singer has found a new venue in the province. American Christian rocker and missionary Sean Feucht was set to begin his Canadian tour at York Redoubt, a national historic site in Nova Scotia, on Wednesday night. Late Tuesday night, Parks Canada sent Global News a statement to say it had revoked the organizer's permit because of 'heightened public safety concerns.' 'Due to evolving safety and security considerations based on confirmation of planned protests, input from law enforcement, and the security challenges with the configuration of York Redoubt, Parks Canada has reassessed the conditions of the permit and potential impacts to community members, visitors, concert attendees and event organizers,' the statement said. Story continues below advertisement Feucht is known for speaking out against abortion rights and the LGBTQ2 community. He unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in California's 3rd congressional district in 2020. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He has also hosted worship concerts to protest COVID-19 restrictions and has previously visited the president for a faith briefing at the White House. Residents of the Halifax-area neighbourhood were upset when they found out about the event at the 230-year-old site. 'How did it happen? Who approved it? Did they even check it out? You know, it's kind of unbelievable how they can let someone just not even question it,' neighbour Leslie Lee said Tuesday. Residents said they intended to protest outside the event if it went through. 'I protested when I was in my early 20s, I can protest again,' said Marilyn Howard. On social media Wednesday, Feucht posted a video in response to Parks Canada's decision, alleging the decision was anti-Christian and intolerant. 'The show is going on baby. God is with us,' he said. He later announced a new location for his worship event in Shubenacadie, N.S. — about 40 minutes outside of Halifax. The Halifax show is the start of a 11-concert tour across Canada, with shows in Charlottetown, Moncton and Quebec City scheduled for later this week.
Global News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Parks Canada under fire over Trump-backing musician's Halifax concert
Residents of a Halifax neighbourhood say they're shocked that a rising star in the MAGA movement is set to perform at a nearby Parks Canada site. American Christian rocker and missionary Sean Feucht is scheduled to begin his Canadian tour at the York Redoubt, a national historic site in Nova Scotia, on Wednesday night. Feucht is known for speaking out against abortion rights and the LGBTQ2 community. He unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in California's 3rd congressional district in 2020. He has also hosted worship concerts to protest COVID-19 restrictions and has previously visited the president for a faith briefing at the White House. Todd Smith and his family live across the street from the York Redoubt site and say they left the U.S. to get away from the MAGA movement after President Donald Trump was re-elected. Story continues below advertisement Now, it's followed him right to his doorstep. 'I can't explain the level of frustration and I guess anger that I have that we've moved all the way up here to get rid of it and it's really literally slapping us in the face across the street,' he said. View image in full screen Todd Smith, who lives across the street from York Redoubt, says he's upset a MAGA-supporting musician is performing at the Parks Canada site. Mitchell Bailey/Global News Amid recent 51st state taunts from Trump, many are taking issue with an advocate for the U.S. president performing at a historic Canadian site. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We see Canada as a place that is opening to everybody. And what's happening across the street is not opening to everybody,' said Smith. Other residents in the neighbourhood also want the show cancelled, and are planning to protest outside the venue if it goes ahead. 'I protested when I was in my early 20s, I can protest again,' said Marilyn Howard. Story continues below advertisement York Redoubt is a 230-year-old site operated by Parks Canada and isn't known for musical events. 'How did it happen? Who approved it? Did they even check it out? You know, it's kind of unbelievable how they can let someone just not even question it,' said neighbour Leslie Lee. Global News reached out to Parks Canada to ask why the concert is being held there but didn't hear back by deadline. 'When I first heard about it, I was pretty ticked off. This is a national historic site. It's funded by the taxpayer,' said neighbour Thomas Lee. The Halifax show is the start of a 11-concert tour across Canada, with shows in Charlottetown, Moncton and Quebec City scheduled for later this week.
CTV News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Hudson, Que., holds its first ever suburban Pride event
Hudson, Que., held its first ever Pride this year, and organizers say it's important to make everyone feel included. (Christine Long/CTV) Rainbows took over Hudson, Que., has the community held its first ever Pride event on Saturday. The Hudson and Vaudreuil-Soulanges Pride was put together by local volunteers to celebrate diversity within their suburban communities. Evie Haugland, one of the event's organizers, says the goal is to educate. 'That's our whole vibe. Our whole mission is to bring people together, to show up, to have that visibility in order for young people to know that we exist, that we're here and we're here to support them and help them through their journey,' she said. Organizations like The West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre were on site, letting people like Elora Gorman know they are welcome as they explore their identity. 'One thing I really love about the LGBTQ2+ community, it's very pretty. And I love the music,' Gorman said. Local artists with messages of inclusion were on-site selling their work. Martha Randy uses her photography to recreate the Pride emblems with colours found in nature. 'Diversity is a natural part of our world, right? From the forests to our families to everything. And if we start homogenizing the world that we live in, it's not going to be good for anybody and we're all going to suffer,' she told CTV News. In a bit of synchronicity, The Hudson Village Theatre next door is in rehearsals to stage a comedy that revolves around a gay couple moving into a small community. Don Anderson of the theatre said Bed & Breakfast is a play in which 'some people are very accepting and ready to welcome them into their community, others maybe not so much.' He added that whatever the current production may be onstage, the theatre has always been a safe space for everyone. 'It's really apropos that I'm so glad that we were able to participate in today's event, the inaugural Hudson Pride Event. It's so it's so important!' he said. Many at the Pride event said it's especially important now as some humans rights have come under threat. 'In the States right now, there's so much homophobia and transphobia. So we wanted to make sure as Canadians that we were saying, 'No, this is not what we want. That does not represent us,'' said organizer Haugland.
Global News
27-06-2025
- Health
- Global News
Judge grants injunction request blocking Alberta's gender-affirming care legislation
Organizations that advocate for members of the LGBTQ2 community are calling a court injunction preventing the Alberta government from banning gender-affirming treatment for people under 16 'a historic win.' Egale Canada welcomed the decision in a news release on Friday afternoon. Egale along with a group called Skipping Stone and several Alberta families have argued that gender-affirming care legislation introduced in Bill 26 will cause harm. 'As we have long argued, the government should never interfere in the medical decisions of doctors and patients or prevent parents and youth from deciding what medical care is right for them,' Egale Canada said. 'Everyone deserves the ability to access health care and participate fully in their communities. 'We are grateful that the court has acted to protect access to critical medical care.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy When she issued the temporary injunction, Justice Allison Kuntz said the legislation raises serious issues that need to addressed in court and that her decision was in order to prevent 'irreparable harm' for young patients until the issues at play are addressed. Story continues below advertisement The organizations filed documents to seek the injunction with the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in late 2024. The LGBTQ2 groups involved in the case had argued that changes to health law violate gender-diverse young people's Section 7 Charter right to security of the person, their Section 12 right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment and their Section 15 right to equality. They also argued it violates the Alberta Bill of Rights. Bill 26 is one of three pieces of legislation affecting transgender people passed by Alberta's United Conservative government in the fall. –with files from The Canadian Press' Lisa Johnson
Global News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Canadians are ‘leading' in LGBTQ2 support amid global declines: Ipsos
Support for LGBTQ2 rights and visibility remains strong among Canadians and has increased over the past year, a new poll suggests, even as global attitudes continue to decline. Data released Friday by Ipsos in its annual Pride Report showed Canada was among the few nations where support has gone up among 26 countries surveyed, although that support is lower than levels seen in 2021. 'Canada does appear to be leading in its support on a whole range of metrics,' said Sanyam Sethi, vice-president at Ipsos Public Affairs. The report found nearly eight out of 10 Canadians surveyed said they support same-sex marriage or legal recognition, that same-sex couples should have the same right to adopt children as heterosexual couples, and that LGBTQ2 people should be protected from harassment and discrimination in employment, housing and access to businesses. Story continues below advertisement Globally, between 60 and 75 per cent of respondents supported those same positions. Canadians were also found to be more supportive of LGBTQ2 visibility, with majorities or pluralities approving of public displays of affection, being open about their sexual orientation or gender identity, and seeing more openly LGBTQ2 people on screen, in sports and promoted within companies and brands. Those attitudes were also above the global average, sometimes as much as 10 points. 2:14 Montrealers march against rising homophobia and transphobia on international day Although support for transgender rights in Canada was slightly below that for gay, lesbian, bisexual or non-binary people, Ipsos found it remains well above the global average and has also increased slightly since last year. 'It's really a breath of fresh air, especially when we look around the world and see in lots of places there's actually a rollback of rights and negative opinions are increasing, to see that Canada is still holding strong,' said Carmen Logie, a University of Toronto professor and the Canada Research Chair in global health equity. Story continues below advertisement Twelve per cent of Canadians identify as LGBTQ2, Ipsos said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Canada joined Ireland, Thailand, Spain, Argentina and Mexico as the few countries that saw support increase over the past year, despite remaining below 2021 levels. However, those countries regularly outpaced Canada across all questions asked by Ipsos. Generational gender split? The report also noted a widening gender gap for support of LGBTQ2 rights and visibility depending on age. While baby boomers and Gen X men and women were largely aligned in their support, those attitudes diverged among millennials and especially Gen Z, the poll found, with more young women supporting LGBTQ2 issues than young men. That was true in Canada as well, with Gen Z women sometimes outperforming their male counterparts by as much as 20 points on some questions. Story continues below advertisement Sethi said Ipsos has found similar gender divides among Gen Z Canadians on other issues as well, beyond LGBTQ2 rights. 'This is a generation growing up together but not seeing eye-to-eye on most issues,' she said. Canadian support on all questions posed by Ipsos is also well above levels reported in the United States, where the Trump administration has undertaken sweeping measures against diversity initiatives in government, education and business. 2:23 LGBTQ2S+ Americans leaving U.S. for Canada following Trump's policy reversals On many issues — including same-sex marriage, which has been legal for a decade in the U.S. — American support has dropped over the past year and is down overall from 2021, the data suggests. Fewer Americans even said they had an LGBTQ2 friend, relative or co-worker when asked compared to last year, while Canada and other countries saw gains. Story continues below advertisement Shelley Craig, a professor at the University of Toronto and the Canada Research Chair on sexual and gender minority youth, noted U.S. media and political narratives — particularly those seen in the 2024 election cycle — have spread in Canada as well. She said those attitudes have taken the form of online misinformation, hate speech and attacks on LGBTQ2 people in recent years. 'We're seeing more Canadians than before who might have been assuming everything was fine speaking up a little bit more, and I think that is part of the bounce back we're seeing,' she said. Craig also gave credit to the work done by LGBTQ2 organizations in Canada to boost education and awareness to push back on more negative narratives. 'There is a lot of room for growth, because we are not where we have been in the past in terms of overall acceptance,' she said. —With files from Global's Kyle Benning These are the results of a 26-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform between Friday, April 25, and Friday, May 9, 2025. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 19,028 adults aged 18-74 in Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries. The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, Türkiye, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Thailand. Samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.S. can be considered representative of their general adult populations under the age of 75. The '26-country average' reflects the average result for all the countries and markets where the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result. The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,001 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of 500 accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. Percentages cited may not always add to 100% or to the sum of each value due to the effects of rounding.
