2SLGBTQ+ Yukoners say they won't be crossing U.S. border anytime soon
CBC
Jody Bräul was worried from the moment U.S. President Donald Trump was elected last fall.
"It was like, 'oh, things are going to get worse,'" they said.
Bräul didn't expect it to happen so quickly. The same day Trump took office, he passed an executive order stating that the U.S. government would only recognize two sexes: male and female.
Four months later, it's still not clear what that means for Bräul and other gender non-conforming Canadians who might travel to the U.S.
Bräul, who lives in Whitehorse, uses the pronouns they/them and the gender marker in their passport is an "X." They're used to travelling across the border for ski and hiking trips with friends, but now they wonder if they might be denied entry – or worse.
"The really insidious thing about the 'flood the zone' approach that Trump is taking is that if you take it seriously, you seem like the crazy one," Bräul said, referring to the president's flurry of executive orders and announcements early in his term.
In January, CBC News asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency what Canadians with an "X" gender marker on their passports can expect if they try to enter the country. The agency referred CBC News to the White House press office, which has yet to respond.
Global Affairs Canada told CBC News it is unaware of any cases of Canadians being denied entry to the U.S. because of an "X" gender identifier in their passport.
The federal government ranks safety risks for Canadian travellers visiting other countries, on a scale that goes from "avoid all travel" to "take normal precautions." Travellers to Denmark or the Netherlands, for example, are advised to exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism.
Bräul expressed frustration that the federal guidance on travel to the United States is still "take normal precautions" — though the government quietly updated its online travel advice to remind Canadians to "expect scrutiny" from border patrol officers if they travel to the United States.
Helen Kennedy is the executive director of Egale Canada, an advocacy organization that works on behalf of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
"We don't know right now what's going to happen and that's what makes it very, very difficult for people to assess the safety of whether or not they should be going into the States at all," Kennedy told CBC News in January.
Kennedy said the Canadian government should explain in clear terms what transgender and non-binary people can expect at the border.
"I think that the Canadian government has a responsibility to inform folks of what's happening," she said.
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