As a country that strongly promotes diversity, immigration in Canada is indeed necessary. Nowadays immigration is a very long process that is open to pretty much anyone as long as they fulfill the required prerequisites. It is the only way we are able to learn about all kinds of people around the world, including their sexualities and how it can intersect with other social identities such as class and race. A process known as “sexual migration” is where people migrate to other countries that enable queer practices, identities, and subjectivities (Mansalan, 2006). Most queer immigrants choose Canada as a country to migrate to because it is seen as a place where everyone is free to be themselves despite of their race and sexuality. Even though Canada is accepting to all kinds of people with diverse beliefs and values today, was it always this way?
As a matter-of-fact, Canada was not always a very welcoming country, especially to queer immigrants. According to LaViolette (2004), “until recently Canadian immigration laws allowed only married, heterosexual Canadians to sponsor their spouses as family class immigrants”. In the past, Canadian immigration law discriminated against queers; gay and lesbian immigrants who sought permanent residence in Canada were denied entry, and could not even enter Canada as visitors. Furthermore, if they managed to enter Canada and were caught participating in homosexualism, immigrants were subject to deportation. Thank fully the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act came into play in 2002, and set out to see that families are reunited in Canada, including gay and lesbian partners (LaViolette, 2004).
As most people may realize, migration certainly does expand cultural and racial difference in Canada. However, because of the movement of people around the world, migration also brings many different sexual ideologies and ideas into perspective (Mansalan, 2006). This diversity in culture, sexual beliefs, and the fact that queer immigrants are now legally allowed to permanently reside in Canada does contribute to the fact that more in Canada are more accepting towards them; but, this does not mean that discrimination against queer immigrants has been completely diminished. Being an immigrant all by itself places a lot of stigma on a person, but the fact that some of these immigrants are also a part of the queer community may add on to discrimination that they receive. Mansalan (2006) states that immigrant queers experience discrimination and stigma from their own cultures as well as mainstream culture. They may be isolated from their cultural community because being gay may not be an ideal part of cultural traditions; they may also be isolated from the queer community who may also be prejudice against people of colour. This makes it even twice as hard for queer immigrants to find a sense of belonging and community as they face what I like to call “double discrimination”. Thus queer immigrants need to establish “multiple hybrid cultures and [create] spaces for community activities and new cultural “traditions” that depart from their own migrant communities and from mainstream “straight” and “gay and lesbian” communities” (Mansalan, 2006).
Unfortunately there is no country that exists where people – especially immigrants – in queer communities can grow up free of discrimination, persecution, or repression (LaViollette, 2004). Every day, queer immigrants are judged and made outcasts in society for simply trying to be who they are. It makes feel relieved to know that immigrants and refugees can now come to Canada despite of their sexuality. Even though it does not erase the discrimination some people may have for them, it is still brings them one step closer to being accepted, and to me that’s better than nothing at all.
- Adrienne A.
References:
LaViolette, N. (2004). Coming out to Canada: The Immigration of Same-Sex Couples Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. McGill Law Journal / Revue de droit de McGill, 49, 969-1003. Retrieved on November 22, 2011: http://heinonline.org.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/HOL/Page?page=969&handle=hein.journals%2Fmcgil49&collection=journals#983
Mansalan, M. (2006). Queer Intersections: Sexuality and Gender in Migration Studies. International Migration Review, 40(1), 224-244. DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-7379.2006.00009.x
I really liked your post, Adrienne! I had no idea about this motion of "sexual migration." I'm really glad Canada is becoming more welcoming to people of all races, genders, sexualities and more. No one should be denied access to a better life because of those things. It's a shame that we were not always like this.
ReplyDelete- Michal