An Australian LGBT activist group has issued a travel warning for visitors to the United States, claiming that they could face potential difficulties if they identify as anything other than their actual sex.
Equality Australia posted an advisory on its website that states the group is “monitoring instances of travelers experiencing difficulties entering the U.S. due to their gender.” The advisory does not cite any new U.S. government policy or specific piece of legislation, but rather states the advisory was “drawn from a range of sources,” which include government documents, media reporting, and travel advisories from other LGBT-identified groups.
According to the document, the advisory is “relevant if you are traveling to the U.S.” and meet at least one of the following criteria: “hold a passport with a gender ‘X’ marker; have identity documents with gender markers different to those assigned to you at birth, or where other relevant details (such as your name) have been changed; have gender markers in your identity documents that do not match your gender expression, [and] have a track record” of LGBT or other political activism.
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“Travel to the U.S. carries serious risks that should be considered before planning any travel, particularly if you fall under one of the above categories,” the document further alleges.
The advisory mirrors similar travel advisories issued by Germany, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands for LGBT-identified people planning to visit the States.
Equality Australia’s Heather Corkhill told Australian outlet ABC she does “not expect the travel risks to diminish in the near future” due to recent moves by the Trump administration, including the president’s executive order in January affirming the scientific reality that there are only two sexes and that U.S. passports are required to reflect that truth.
LGBT-identified “people are now very conscious of the risks, and some are choosing not to travel to the U.S. while others are taking steps to mitigate the danger, such as deleting content on their phones or memorizing phone numbers of loved ones and lawyers,” Corkhill told ABC Australia.
The travel advisory comes weeks ahead of June, when LGBT-identified communities mark so-called pride month with LGBT events and festivities, such as WorldPride, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., from May 17 through June 8.
Eagle Canada, one of the country’s largest LGBT groups, announced in February it would not attend any WorldPride or other similar events in the U.S. due to the Trump administration’s policies.
“This decision is foremost based on the need to safeguard our [LGBT-identified] staff who would face questionable treatment at land and aviation borders to attend such convenings, and to stand in solidarity with global colleagues who are experiencing similar fear around entry to the U.S.,” a Feb. 6 statement read.
While June is typically the month for pro-LGBT events, this year, many of America’s biggest brands are scaling back their company support after Bud Light saw its sales plummet last year following its ad campaign featuring transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
