ATTITUDE JOINS THE POLITICAL LEADER AT THE INAUGURAL ‘CANADA PRIDE’ TO DISCUSS FEAR AND DIVISION IN POLITICS, EQUALITY, HIS FIRST TWO YEARS IN OFFICE, HOW HIS WORK AT A STUDENT SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE SHAPED HIS POLITICAL CAREER, HIS FAMILY VALUES AND MUCH MORE
THE JANUARY ISSUE OF ATTITUDE MAGAZINE IS ON SALE NOW
Download images: HERE credit: Attitude Magazine / Christopher Wahl
Today, Stream Publishing and Attitude, Europe’s biggest gay lifestyle magazine, proudly announce that Canadian Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party Justin Trudeau will cover the January issue of the magazine, on sale now.
In a world exclusive interview and photoshoot, the magazine joins Trudeau, arguably the world’s most pro-LGBT political leader, at the inaugural ‘Canada Pride 2017’ in his hometown of Montreal. The interview sees Trudeau discuss a range of issues, including his two years in office following almost a decade of Conservative governance, his work on the world’s stage as one of the G8 leaders, campaigning for women and LGBT equality, the notion of ‘Canadian Pride’, his family values and much more.
Speaking of equality and his family mottos –
“You stand up against bullies, you stand up for people who are in difficult situations. One of our informal family mottos is to always provide counterweights: if there’s weakness somewhere go and add your strength to balance the scales. That was always a general theme for me.”
Speaking on fear and division in politics –
“If you allay people’s anxieties and fears about their own economic future, about their jobs and about their kids’ futures, it’s easier to build a cohesive, inclusive and positive society. The politics of fear and division don’t work that well. So, bringing people together around a growing economy was the big thing we’ve been focused on.”
On the focus on his image –
“If people get too fixated on image then they’re not capturing the rest, and quite frankly, I give Canadians a lot more credit than some of my political opponents do.”
“Canadians understand the difference between what we do substantively and what ends up being image, and the fact that they’re linked around an authentic person is part of what helps. You can’t have image without substance for long; people figure that out.”
On the LGBT+ community –
“The LGBT+ community has become emblematic of the fight for human rights. 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. Every time someone says to me, ‘Why do you still feel it’s important to walk Prides?’ [I say] it’s because there’s so much more to do, and the more that we are exposed to stories that reveal our own biases, the privileges we take for granted, that other people don’t have, the better we’ll be at standing up for other people’s rights and opportunities.”
On his time as a student volunteer at the McGill University sexual assault centre –
“The institution didn’t want to recognise there might be a problem around sexual assault. But it was the student society running it and it exposed me to all sorts of activism, these huge intersectionalities — although we didn’t know what to call it then — with different activist groups: the women’s union, the LGBT alliance, the sexual assault centre. That was when I became truly aware of the real challenges that different identities had with discrimination and unfairness, and I understood my own privilege of how I was raised, but also the privilege that went with being raised in my family. It opened my eyes to the struggle that is still going on.”
On religious leaders and Canada’s aim to champion women’s and LGBT issues across the Commonwealth –
“There will always be small groups of people who have power, whether it’s religious groups, or political groups, who will protect that status quo and will resist change as it gets closer to them…but I trust people, I trust citizens, and I know that the direction that we need to move is in respectful ways, in meaningful ways [and] is something that we need to keep pushing.”
“I think sometimes it takes friends, or allies, or partners, like another country leader, to say: ‘Give your people more credit than you have, and maybe the religious leaders don’t have the kind of impact that you think they have’.”
“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.”
On diversity in Canada and ‘Canadian Pride’ –
“We should be confident that we’re one of the places to have figured out that diversity is a source of strength. We have a positive role to play in the world, we can make positive choices that people can look at. People say to me, ‘Oh, you changed Canada in the past couple of years’. I didn’t change anything. Canadians didn’t change when the government changed, Canadians are what they are.”
“On poverty, or activism, or marginalised groups, you have to figure out how to move things forward in a meaningful and incremental way, that leaves a bunch of people impatient, but is done in the right way so a future government isn’t going to be able to turn the clock back.”
Trudeau’s appearance on the cover follows the lead of UK politicians Tony Blair (who covered the magazine as leader of the Labour Party in 2005 on the eve of the UK general election) and David Cameron (who appeared on the cover as part of the Conservative Party’s general election press campaign in March 2010.) Other notable figures who have covered Attitude include: Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge (July 2016 – making history as the first member of the royal family to cover an LGBT publication), Princess Diana (who posthumously appeared on the cover in November 2017 having been awarded the Legacy Award due to her AIDS / HIV activism) plus cultural icons Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell, Stephen Fry, and many more.
Speaking of Justin Trudeau covering the magazine, Cliff Joannou, Editor of Attitude said: “Attitude is honoured to have been invited to join Justin Trudeau at the inaugural Canada Pride event. At a time when too many countries in the West face division and conflict, Canada is a shining example of how diversity and inclusion can build a stronger, more cohesive nation. From our recent cover story with Prince William to this month’s world exclusive with the Prime Minister of Canada, Attitude continues to show why it is an important platform to champion LGBT+ rights.”
For further information please contact:
Murray Chalmers PR
0207 361 0730
NOTES TO EDITORS
Publication of the attached images and quotes must credit: Attitude Magazine January 2018 Issue, on sale now.
These images may only be used to accompany editorial relating to the Attitude cover story in this month’s issue.
07.12.17