Canada reportedly considered advisory for trans travellers to the U.S.

A new report from Reuters shows that Canadian officials struggled to advise travellers on Trump’s trans policies following his January executive order

Canadian officials reportedly discussed issuing a travel advisory for trans travellers going to the United States, but ultimately didn’t publish anything.

This week, Reuters reported that in the days following Trump’s executive order on gender identity, Canadian officials scrambled to advise and reassure trans Canadian travellers—but ultimately didn’t publish any specific travel advisory related to gender. 

A Jan. 22 email obtained via freedom of information request showed Canadian officials were in touch with U.S. authorities about the executive order and its “real or potential impact on trans Canadians’ ability to enter the U.S.”

Officials also reportedly discussed the new U.S. policy requiring visa applicants to list the sex assigned at birth on their applications as well as the implications for Canadian permanent residents and other travellers who would need a visa to travel to the U.S. 

According to the documents obtained by Reuters, Canadian officials wrote and approved wording addressing the Trump administration’s new policy on passports with “X” gender markers, but never added it to the travel advisory.

We break down what you need to know.

Cody Corrall is Xtra's Social Video Producer. Their work has appeared in BuzzFeed News, TechCrunch, the Chicago Reader, CINE-FILE, Thrillist, Paste Magazine, and other places on the world wide web. He lives in Chicago and speaks English.

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

Keep Reading

Girlguiding patches

Trans girls banned from U.K. Girl Guides following Supreme Court ruling

The U.K. Women’s Institute also announced it will ban trans women from membership

Why is everyone obsessed with this gay Canadian hockey TV show?

“Heated Rivalry” has been a breakout hit. What’s the special sauce that’s making everyone so excited?
Stills from Somebody Somewhere, Clean Slate, and Mid-Century Modern - shows with queer characters that were cancelled or ended.

Nearly half of all queer characters on TV will disappear next year

An uptick in series endings and cancellations is bad news for queer and trans representation
On the left, a black and white still from Flaming Creatures featuring a person sniffing a bouquet of flowers. On the right, an illustrated poster for the film.

‘Flaming Creatures’ and the censorship of queer art

Jack Smith’s 1963 film “Flaming Creatures” was deemed legally obscene by the U.S. Supreme Court