LGBTQ Discrimination Costs East African Nations $5 Billion a Year, Study Finds
Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are already spending as much as $3.1 billion on health care due to the marginalization of LGBTQ people, and using additional funds to police their activities, according to Open for Business, a global coalition of companies promoting LGBTQ inclusion.
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CNBC
2 days ago
- CNBC
Some international LGBTQ+ travelers pull back on U.S. trips: 'Why would I go there?'
Canadian citizen Robert Sharp was planning to visit Provincetown, Massachusetts — one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly places in America — for his friend's milestone birthday in July. But against a backdrop of ongoing trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump's tariff policies and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies in the U.S., he said his plans changed. "Do we want to have that stress before going on vacation? Or do we want to support our own country?" Sharp said. The group he was planning to travel with decided to cancel the trip and will instead visit Montreal, he said. Sharp and his partner were also planning to visit Chicago or Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a separate trip this year, but they shifted their plans to a Canadian road trip between Calgary and Vancouver. "We've been hit hard in Canada with tariffs and there's been a real sense of patriotism up here. So, we ultimately decided to explore our own country, and do a road trip to the Rockies and spend money within Canada to help our economy," Sharp said. Sharp's change in plans reflects a larger trend of international travelers rethinking where they are spending their travel budgets and pulling back on visits to the U.S. The number of foreign visitors to the U.S. by air dropped 10% in March from a year prior, according to the International Trade Administration, part of the Commerce Department. Including land border crossings, inbound visitors to the U.S. fell 14% in March from the same period last year, according to the industry group. Oxford Economics estimates spending among international visitors to the U.S. will fall $8.5 billion this year, as negative perceptions of the U.S. tied to trade and immigration policy lead travelers to other destinations. Among the LGBTQ+ population, bookings for queer-friendly housing accommodations in the U.S. on the LGBTQ+ travel platform misterb&b saw a 66% decline among Canadian users and a 32% decline among European users from February to April, compared with the same period last year. The company said it had a 22% increase in bookings in blue states and a 9% decline in red states during that time period. It also saw declines in cities within red states including Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Austin, Texas. Misterb&b CEO Matthieu Jost said overall bookings on the platform are not down globally but are increasing. Jost said LGBTQ+ individuals appear to be continuing to spend on vacations, but they're changing their destinations. The company said the majority of misterb&b users it surveyed this year said they use their travel budget as a form of activism — supporting inclusive destinations and economies. Sharp, who owns LGBTQ-friendly travel company Out Adventures, is not alone in changing his travel plans. In February, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Egale Canada issued a statement saying its members would not participate in person at conferences or events happening in the U.S. this year, including WorldPride, which took place at the beginning of June in Washington, D.C. The decision was made primarily to protect individuals' safety, said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada. In his second term, Trump has signed several executive orders targeting transgender people, including preventing them from serving openly in the military and trying to keep transgender athletes out of girls' and women's sports. Another executive order, which says the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female, prompted several countries, including Denmark, Finland and Germany, to issue official cautions for LGBTQ+ travelers visiting the U.S., particularly transgender travelers. Canada has also updated its travel guidance with specific advisories for people with an "X" gender listed on their passports. Kennedy said another reason for the decision not to travel to the U.S. was to push back on what she views as "economic warfare" from the U.S. toward Canada. "People talk about Canada and the U.S. having a long history of being incredible neighbors. And yes, we do, but that's based on economic interests a lot of the time," Kennedy said. "When you put that human element with the economic element, then you think, well, OK, why would I go there?" Kennedy said members of Egale Canada who are involved in nongovernmental organizations would normally spend anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 per person during a trip to attend a conference or event. Corporate travelers usually spend at least $5,000, she estimated. "We do spend a fair chunk of change in hotels," she said. "We do excursions, we rent bikes, we do all of the things that everybody else does." The LGBTQ+ travel market is significant. The purchasing power of LGBTQ+ consumers overall is estimated to be $1.4 trillion, according to a 2022 study by the market research firm Pride Co-Op. In 2023, the global LGBTQ+ tourism market size was $296.8 billion, and it's expected to more than double in 10 years, reaching $634.9 billion in 2033, according to Research from Arival Travel shows that LGBTQ+ travelers are more likely to be affluent, with a household income of over $150,000, compared with other travelers. When traveling, LGBTQ individuals book more activities and tours and spend more on these experiences than other populations, the Arival research found. John Tanzella, CEO of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, said his organization is already sensing a pullback in international LGBTQ+ travel to the U.S. He said he has heard hesitations from international members about attending the organization's global convention in October in Palm Springs, California. "They don't feel welcome here, so why come and spend their money here?" Tanzella said. "On the surface, it affects airlines and hotels. But if you dig a little deeper it does affect other businesses, whether it's barber shops or restaurants, bars, spas. A lot of communities rely on tourists to come in and spend their money," he added. Despite concerns of waning visits from international LGBTQ+ travelers, as well as some pullbacks in corporate sponsorships for Pride celebrations, Pride organizations across the U.S. said attendance was strong at Pride Month events, many of which take place on the last weekend of June. But many organizations said it's still too soon to get official attendance numbers or difficult to estimate, given that many Pride celebrations are non-ticketed and open to the public. Matt Şenız-Cheng, associate director of partnerships for NYC Pride, said attendance for its Pride events last weekend is expected to total 2.5 million — in line with its typical numbers. He said NYC Pride lost approximately 25% of its corporate sponsorships initially this year, due to the economy, tariffs and pullback surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. But he estimated the number of people and contingents participating in the Pride march this year will be bigger than in previous years. Ryan Bos, executive director for the Capital Pride Alliance, which ran WorldPride this year, said organizers were "pleasantly surprised" that people still showed up amid concerns about the Trump administration's policies. Bos said he had heard calls to cancel the event this year due to political tensions in Washington, he said. "If we were to retreat, what message would that have sent to all the other Prides who are also experiencing similar challenges?" Bos said. While WorldPride doesn't have official attendance numbers yet, Bos said he believes attendance was strong. However, Tanzella, of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, said he heard numbers for WorldPride were down this year. Cities in red states have also continued on with their pride celebrations. Attendance rose from about 28,000 last year to 33,000 this year at Phoenix Pride's annual Rainbows Festival in April, Executive Director Michael Fornelli told CNBC in a statement. Its pride parade will be celebrated in October due to the summer heat. In Salt Lake City, SLC Pride estimated its celebration last weekend brought in 17,000 attendees, more than the 10,000 it saw last year, according to Bonnie O'Brien, festival director. "We are in a little bit of a blue bubble here in Salt Lake," O'Brien said. "We're not expecting people to come from big, big cities or foreign countries. But will we get people from Wyoming? Yes. Will we get people from rural Utah or rural Idaho? Yes." "It's not about travel. It's not about red or blue," she said. "It's about the closest place that they can find community. And that they know that they're safe, if just for a weekend."
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Inside a Minnesota Amazon warehouse, new state law puts spotlight on worker safety
SHAKOPEE, Minnesota - About 20 workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in this suburb southwest of Minneapolis gathered around a supervisor early one morning before starting another shift. Yelling above all the commotion of a 855,000-square-foot facility, the manager told workers they were in for another busy day before he launched the group into a stretching routine for fingers, wrists, necks, torsos and legs. This site can churn out a million or more packages a day during peak seasons. But the workload can also churn out injured workers - around 200 a year, according to federal data. Repetitive tasks such as lifting, reaching or bending, done for hours at a time, five days a week, can lead to musculoskeletal injuries that can force employees to miss work. The Shakopee facility's safety record has drawn scrutiny for years. It helped inspire new statewide safety regulations that took effect in late 2023. Yet more than a year later, some workers still assert that Amazon is not doing enough to keep them safe. And while federal data shows that the most serious injuries among workers are on the decline at the facility, overall injuries still increased last year. "All they want is just fair work, a safe place for them to work," said Deqa Essa, the executive director of the Awood Center, a nonprofit that assists East African immigrant workers, many of whom work for Amazon. Amazon's Shakopee fulfillment center opened in 2016. Not long after, it began to take heat for its working conditions. A 2021 study by the National Employment Law Project found that from 2018 to 2020, the facility had an injury rate of 11.1 cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers. That's more than double the rate at non-Amazon warehouses in Minnesota and more than four times the average rate for all private industries in the state. The facility, which now employs 2,500 people, became the site of worker protests, drawing the attention of state lawmakers. In 2022, with Amazon in mind, the Legislature passed safety requirements meant to eliminate excessive productivity quotas and slow the pace of work at warehouses with 250 workers or more at one site, or for companies with 1,000 workers across multiple warehouses. If an employer records an injury or illness rate at least 30% higher than national averages, the state is supposed to open an investigation and the employer must hold safety committee meetings monthly until the rate drops below 30%. The law went into effect in late 2023. In 2024, Minnesota also implemented new safety standards to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries for warehouses and other facilities with more than 100 employees. The state has since levied fines against 15 warehouses as of February, ranging from $4,300 to as much as $32,500, according to records from the state Department of Labor and Industry. The violations commonly involve required safety programs designed to avoid musculoskeletal injuries - a lack of implementation, training or reference to them in written materials for workers. Amazon's Shakopee facility is among the 15 warehouses. Although its fine of $10,500 ranks in the bottom third compared to the others, it is the only enforcement action the state has publicized so far. The state fined Amazon, alleging that it did not protect employees from ergonomic hazards and that it used a quota system without giving a written copy of it to workers before they were expected to meet it. Amazon is appealing the fines. Spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company had already implemented many of the safety precautions required by the law, and denied that workers are judged on a fixed quota system. But some workers at Amazon said they felt the company still has not done enough to support them. About a half-dozen workers met with the Minnesota Star Tribune at the Awood Center, which helps with policy advocacy, workers' rights education and leadership development for immigrant workers. Workers interviewed requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation at work. They said the speed of the job and the likelihood of injuries at Amazon are the same if not worse than before Minnesota passed its new safety regulations. "I still feel pain. But still, I need my job," said one woman who continued to have pain in her shoulder after she reportedly hurt herself at work. She still can't lift heavy things above her head and suffers from migraines that she believes are related to her injury. Amazon has made some progress safety-wise at the facility. According to data from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the rate of injury cases in which an employee missed time from work dropped 54% from 2020 through 2024. Nantel said the progress on severe injuries is the result of more than $2 billion in company-wide safety investments since 2019, rather than any new regulations in Minnesota. "Those are the things that have made a big difference," she said. Workers have also complained to the Awood Center that supervisors penalize them for the time it takes to use the bathroom or pray, in violation of the new law. The issue, workers said, is that walks to the bathroom or prayer room in the massive facility can take several minutes. Nantel acknowledged that in general there can be Amazon supervisors who act outside of policy regarding work breaks but said that they are held accountable. She dismissed it as a widespread issue, calling it an "easy accusation" that is not based in fact. But Essa insisted Amazon still has room for improvement. Of the 20 Amazon workers the organization is in touch with, she said, almost all of them report pain in their shoulders, neck or elsewhere. "I think to comply [with the new law], it takes time," Essa said. "That's why we exist. You have to continue pushing for Amazon to do the right thing." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Deli 'shocked' at complaint letter over Pride flag
A deli which was sent an anonymous letter complaining about a Pride flag flying outside has said it will not stop supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community. Businesses across Market Harborough displayed Progress Pride flags in June to support Pride month organised by Harborough District Council. But as the month approached its end, a customer of Just So Italian Deli sent an unsigned first class letter which said the flag was "a message of hostility" and warned the deli would "certainly lose" customers. Just So Italian assistant manager Tiffany Ryan said the deli would not tolerate discrimination and wanted to show solidarity to a community which receives "so much hatred". She said: "We were quite shocked and disgusted, it was really out of the blue. "The member of staff who opened the letter is a member of the LGBTQ community himself, so it was quite emotional opening [a letter with] that attitude posted through the letterbox." The letter, which was also sent to a handful of other businesses in the town according to the deli, also asked the businesses to consider taking down "this divisive flag". But Ms Ryan said: "We need to let people know that we don't accept this kind of behaviour. We don't tolerate it, and we just wanted to make sure that everyone knows they are welcome in our deli. "We don't care who you are. It's just all about Italian food. We don't want people to be nervous about coming in. "We need to stand up for a community that already gets so much hatred directed towards them, because at the end of it, they're people." Harborough council's lead for culture, leisure, economy and tourism Jo Asher said it was "proud" to support Pride month with flags across the town centre and on its Symington Building offices. She said: "We want to show that everyone is welcome in our district and flying the Progress flag demonstrates our strong commitment to equality and diversity." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Reform council told to reconsider flag policy Procession of colour marks city's Pride event Just So Italian Deli Harborough District Council
