Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said in a recent interview that he's “very glad” to push world
leaders on LGBT rights.
The 45-year-old Trudeau told UK LGBT
glossy Attitude that he's “very blunt” with his
counterparts about the need for LGBT equality.
“I'll say it and I'll stand up for it
and be very blunt about it,” Trudeau said, adding that staffers or
people around the leader often thank him for “adding that voice
because it's something that [people] need to hear.”
“[The leaders] blame all sorts of
things: society not being ready, or the Church, being a very
conservative society – with a small 'c' – or having very
traditional values,” Trudeau explained. “The leaders are
beginning to understand that the world is moving in that direction
and we haven’t made it a direct condition of trade or aid or
anything like that, but it’s starting to be a real pressure that
you cannot continue to criminalize LGBT+ [people].”
“You need to give people a friendly
nudge to move forward in the right direction, and I'm very glad to do
it. But, yes, I've had some very candid conversations with leaders
about the fact that they need to go there,” he added.