LGBTQ advocates in Thunder Bay, Ont., say Canada's laws aren't protecting them from hate

Warning: This story contains details about violence against LGBTQ people that may be upsetting to some readers. 

Pride festivals are usually a time to celebrate queer and trans joy and remember those the community lost. But Jason Veltri, who helps organize events in Thunder Bay, Ont., said he's looking over his shoulder this past Pride season, hoping his life wouldn't be the next life lost. 

Veltri, president of the Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay, received an anonymous death threat in June that was "very explicit around a rape and killing." The Thunder Bay Pride festival had to hire security, increase police presence at events and work with the city to change the road closures, he said. 

The author of the anonymous email described the specific ways they wanted to kill him, but that it wasn't enough to scare him away from his advocacy for Thunder Bay's LGBTQ community, Veltri said. 

"If anything, it strengthens my resolve to continue speaking up," he said. He reported it to police, but they never found the sender. 

"Putting myself in harm's way, if that's the price we pay to ensure freedom and the ability to live freely and authentically in our community, then I will do it every day of the week."   

Veltri and Scotia Kauppi, chair of the Thunder Pride Association, brought their safety concerns to the Thunder Bay Police Service's oversight board this week. He said he wanted to create a dialogue with police about the ongoing dangers that queer and trans community members face. He hopes police take their message up the ladder in the criminal justice system. 

"We're asking that the attorney general have a look at the hate crime laws in this country to see if there are things that we can do to lower the threshold and to provide some semblance of accountability for actions," said Veltri. 

Veltri said the level of vitriol local Pride organizations like his face seems to have skyrocketed in the past few years. 

While opposition is nothing new, he said "it has become increasingly more violent and hateful" since he started organizing six years ago.                     

LGBTQ organizations say it's part of a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ sentiment bubbling cross Canada. Advocates say Canada's hate crime laws aren't strong enough to protect them from it. 

"We are experiencing a heightened degree of hostility toward members of the 2SLGBTI community across Canada, specifically targeting trans and gender diverse folks," said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada. 

The number of police-reported hate crimes related to sexual orientation rose 64 per cent in 2021 over the previous year, says Statistics Canada. This number is likely only the tip of the iceberg, said Kennedy, as many victims don't report their experiences to police.  

She said American politics could be influencing the way Canadians approach LGBTQ issues.