Trans activist wants federal guidance on U.S. travel after Trump orders

Fae Johnstone, executive director of the Society of Queer Momentum, speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A prominent trans activist wants Canada to update its travel safety guidelines for the United States following President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting gender expression to male or female.

Fae Johnstone, executive director of Queer Momentum, said she will be avoiding travel to the U.S. for now after Trump declared Monday that the U.S. will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and that they are unchangeable.

She said she doesn’t believe her passport — which has an “X” in place of male or female — will be recognized if she travels through the U.S., and that the executive order causes a lot of uncertainty for herself and other Canadians like her.

“Would I be allowed into the country in the first place? Would I be safe in a society where you’ve got a president leaning into that hateful rhetoric?” Johnstone said. “Trans folks just want to live our lives.”

In 2019 Canada updated its policy so individuals who do not “identify exclusively” as male or female can have an “X” printed on their passport in its place.

It was a move the federal government billed as ensuring the identities of Canadians were respected, and was generally applauded by activists.

But now, individuals with the “X” marker may face challenges crossing the southern border.

“It is nothing short of an existential assault on the very existence of trans and gender-diverse people both in America and around the world,” Johnstone said.

“(We’re) a community that is under attack by far-right politicians who are desperate to use us as a scapegoat to sow division and gain power, all while restricting freedoms that should be afforded to citizens everywhere,” she added.

Johnstone wants Canada to update its guidelines on travel to the U.S. and to explain what it means for trans Canadians crossing the border.

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking for an update on travel guidelines and the number of Canadians who may be affected.

In a news release Monday, Boston-based LGBTQ2S+ legal advocacy group GLAD Law called Trump’s order a “direct attack on transgender Americans.”

“The administration is trying to create fear and sow chaos by its statements and orders, but no executive action can change the fundamental truth that transgender people are vital members of our families and communities,” the organization said. “Like all people, transgender people deserve dignity, respect, and the freedom to live without fear of government-sanctioned harm,” the organization wrote.

“GLAD Law will use every tool we have to fight for LGBTQ+ people’s rights and for fairness and dignity. We will defend the fundamental principle that equal protection under the law is guaranteed — without exception.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025