Trump’s ‘Wall’ Against Trans Travelers Damages U.S. Prestige and Economy
Groups representing artists and academics are joining nations worldwide in warning international trans travelers: Beware the U.S.
by Denny
The Trump administration’s de facto blockade on U.S.-bound international trans travelers is contributing to billions of dollars in losses for the U.S. tourism trade as it chokes off the nation from trans artists, musicians and academics who are abandoning plans to travel here.
At least 11 foreign countries have now issued warnings to trans and gender non-conforming citizens that they will face heightened scrutiny and new barriers to entering the United States. The list of warnings has grown by the week, with Spain becoming the latest nation to express its concern.
Ireland’s warning to its transgender citizens typifies the advice: U.S. travel forms, it says, “require travelers to declare their sex. The U.S. authorities have indicated that this should reflect, what they term, the traveler's biological sex at birth.” Ireland further notes that “travelers who have an 'X' marker on their passport or whose sex on their passport differs from sex assigned at birth” should expect barriers.
Ireland, like a number of other nations, advises trans travelers to seek further information from the U.S. State Department, which pointedly offers no advice to international trans travelers and, in fact, has erased the very word “transgender” from its website.
The de facto wall against international trans travelers was erected unilaterally by the Trump administration, without Congressional approval or the consent of any court. It’s sown confusion in international consulates worldwide that are grappling with how to protect their trans citizens from harsh treatment by U.S. border authorities – at a time American authorities have exhibited animus and cruelty toward all people Trump disfavors.
Trump’s unilateral blockade “has crushed my dreams,” the trans Canadian singer-songwriter Bells Larsen wrote on his Instagram account this month as he announced the cancellation of his U.S. tour. “I’m cradling a very broken heart and the realization that I don’t know if or when I will be able to tour in the States again.”
Another Canadian artist, the singer-songwriter T. Thomason, announced last week that he was withdrawing from a festival appearance in Maine because he did not want to be targeted at the border. The decision will mean a significant loss in earnings for Thomasen, as it will for other nonbinary and trans artists forgoing the United States.
The American Federation of Musicians, which helps process visa applications for Canadians touring the United States, said last week that Trump’s unilateral barriers “run afoul of our shared values” but it cautioned trans and nonbinary artists that “it is unlikely the U.S. government will pivot from this objectionable position.”
Similarly, the Canadian Association of University Teachers issued an advisory last week urging its 72,000 members to “travel to the U.S. only if essential and necessary.” Its warning said that “travelers who are transgender or whose travel documents indicate a sex other than their sex assigned at birth” should “exercise particular caution.”
The Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs said the United States stands to lose as much as $90 billion in tourism revenue if the administration continues to pursue an exclusionary and hostile stance toward international travelers, NBC reported. Tourism from Canada has fallen the most steeply so far, according to NBC, plummeting 12 percent in February and 18 percent in March.
The organizers of World Pride, a three-week series of events celebrating LGBTQ+ lives, which is scheduled to begin May 17 in Washington, have been particularly whipsawed by the Trump administration’s arbitrary actions. The event is intended to demonstrate visibility and resolve, but the organizers have recently tempered their guidance to international trans travelers to emphasize the need for personal safety as well.
Capital Pride Alliance, a leading organizer, has urged all queer travelers — especially trans and nonbinary people — to be informed, travel cautiously, and understand the potential risks before coming to Washington for World Pride. Organizers are seeking to blend “honesty with resolve,” as The Advocate put it.
“Great care is being taken in every aspect of planning to prioritize community well-being, access and visibility,” Elijah Nicholas, who is helping with World Pride preparations, said in an interview with Assigned Media. “As we prepare for these historic events, we remain focused on welcoming attendees from around the world with intention, purpose, and pride.”
“Our hope,” he said, “is for a world where transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people are free to live, travel, thrive, and participate in the global community without restriction or fear.”