Trump’s Newest “Wall”? It Targets Trans Travelers From Overseas.
Leading Off: More European nations raise travel alarms. Walking out, and winning? Trans and Ukraine flags galore. The top story lines as the week begins.
by Assigned Media
President Trump appears intent on assembling a de facto blockade on U.S.-bound trans travelers from overseas, a rash of new international travel advisories shows. Ireland and Portugal are among the latest nations to warn that trans and non-binary people face heightened barriers for entry.
“Trans and nonbinary citizens of at least eight European countries are being warned that they must designate one "sex" on their travel forms in the U.S. — and it has to reflect the gender they were assigned at birth,” according to Axios, which has kept a running tally of the growing barriers.
The chaotic and often unlawful rollout of Trump’s anti-trans campaign has sown confusion in international consulates as they try to decipher the restrictions. The U.S. State Department’s website sums up Trump’s bigoted stance concisely: It makes a point of offering travel advice to “LGB” travelers only. The word “transgender” does not appear on its website, erased in Trump’s vast anti-trans censorship campaign.
World Pride, by the way, is just six weeks away, in Washington, D.C.
Walking out and winning? Dozens of Democratic lawmakers in Georgia walked out of the Capitol last week to protest a wave of anti-trans bills, the most recent targeting incarcerated trans people. Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers, pushing Democrats to make a public display.
Vocal opposition has made a difference, according to a new analysis from Uncloseted Media, which found that more than 90 percent of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures last year were defeated. It’s still a long legislative season ahead, though, with a record-breaking 835 anti-trans bills introduced in state legislatures nationwide.
Trans and Ukraine flags flew prominently at the 1,400 anti-Trump protests held nationwide this weekend. The Guardian reported that more 500,000 people took part all told.
Planning a protest? Assigned Media wants to publicize your event, wherever you are, no matter how small or large. Contact us at AssignedMediaProtests@gmail.com and we will help spread the word.
Coming up this month: Equality NY and Buffalo-area groups are rallying on Tuesday April 15 from 4:30-6:00 PM at Niagara Square in Buffalo in support of queer rights.
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