When it comes to LGBTQ allyship, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pretty much the opposite of President Donald Trump.
Trudeau made history Friday as the first Canadian prime minister to appear on the cover of an LGBT magazine, Instinct magazine reported (Trump, meanwhile, couldn’t even mention the LGBTQ community in a statement on World AIDS Day).
In the Attitude magazine cover story, Trudeau spoke about the fight for gay rights.
“The LGBT+ community has become emblematic of the fight for human rights,” he said. “The fact that so many people have gone for so long feeling that they had to be ashamed, or hide something about their core identity to fit into society is a lesson for everyone to push against.”
Trudeau issued a formal government apology to Canada’s LGBTQ community last month, tearfully acknowledging the “state-sponsored, systematic oppression and rejection” it has faced. The Canadian government promised to pay $125 million in reconciliation efforts, including compensation for LGBTQ people who were forced out of military or public service jobs.
The past few years have seen many world leaders step up for LGBTQ rights. In 2015, former President Barack Obama, who in 2015 appeared on the front of Out magazine, called the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to legalize gay marriage “a victory for America.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull supported a nationwide survey that ultimately led to the country’s legalization of gay marriage. In February, Trudeau became the first Canadian leader to march in Toronto’s Pride parade.
Maybe Trump—who skipped Pride month altogether—should take a page out of their books.
H/T Instinct