Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
A screengrab of a 2019 article titled ‘Canada to ban straight marriage during pride month’ is doing the rounds on social media platforms amid the ongoing pride month celebrations across several countries. It further states that Justin Trudeau announced ‘the month-long straight marriage ban yesterday in Halifax to a teary-eyed crowd’. Newschecker found that the viral screengrab is from a satirical article.
Several Facebook users shared the screengrab believing it to be true.
Links to such posts can be found here, here, here, here and here.
The federal and provincial governments in Canada extended common law marriages to gay and lesbian couples as early as 1999. In 2003, same-sex marriage became legal in nine of the country’s 13 provinces and territories. In 2005, the Canadian Parliament passed legislation making same-sex marriage legal nationwide. In 2006, lawmakers defeated an effort by the ruling Conservative Party of Canada to reconsider the issue, leaving the law unchanged.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau is known for his pro-LGBTQ+ stance on several occasions. In 2016, Trudeau became the first Canadian Prime Minister to take part in a Pride Parade. In 2017, he made a formal apology on behalf of the Government of Canada to LGBTQ+ Canadians who have been wronged by federal legislation, policies, and practices. Trudeau had said, “With dialogue and with understanding, we will move forward together. But we can’t do it alone. The changing of hearts and minds is a collective effort. We need to work together, across jurisdictions, with Indigenous peoples and LGBTQ+ communities, to make the crucial progress that LGBTQ+ Canadians deserve.”
The Canadian government has also banned and discredited the practice of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia To Hold ‘International Straight Pride Month’ in June 2022? No, Viral BBC Tweet Is Fake
Fact Check/Verification
On analysing the image, Newschecker noticed the words ‘NCP Daily’ on the viral image. On a Google keyword search for the same, we were led to the website ‘npcdaily.com’. The About section in the website clearly states that NPC Daily is a “satire site” that provides “political and cultural commentary with wanton sarcasm.” It adds, “our content is totally fictitious and is created to elicit laughs and bemusement.”
In the FAQ section, the website again clarifies that NPC Daily is not a legitimate or real news site. However, it is a legitimate source of a good laugh.
Notably, the website takes on a number of news outlets including Vice, NBC News, CNN, Vox, claiming that the only difference between them and these outlets is that “NCP Daily admits to being a joke.”
We further scanned through the NCP Daily’s website and found the article titled ‘Canada to ban straight marriage during pride month’ in its trending section. The article was published on June 10, 2019 and has likely gained traction again during the ongoing pride month celebrations.
The article was authored by one ‘Quinn’, a member of Boston Antifa – an anti-fascism and anti-racism movement, often at the target of right wingers. The section about the author also further emphasises, “this entire site is satire.”
Newschecker further checked the social media handles of the NCP Daily. The website’s Instagram page reads, “Your source for News and Political Commentary. Trusted non-biased liberal news source – satire.”
It is categorised under ‘Satire/parody’ on Facebook and the about section reads, “Political satire news site, parodying the liberal left.”
NCP Daily’s Twitter handle says, “Official site for NPC Daily. News and Political Commentary.” It further adds, “parody site – nothing on this site or page is meant to be taken seriously.”
We further conducted a keyword search for ‘Canada to ban straight marriage during pride month’ on Facebook and found that the viral screenshot was posted on a Facebook page ‘NPC Wars Reserve Corps’ on June 2, 2022 – a satire and parody page, carrying the link to the memes section in the NCP Daily website.
We did not come across any official Canadian government notification or non-satirical news website stating that Canada was banning straight marriages during the pride month.
Conclusion
A screenshot of a satire article published in 2019 is being shared to claim that Canada has announced a ban on straight marriages during the pride month.
Result: Satire
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback, or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form.
Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
