In a recent memo from the state department, officials were directed to deny visas for any trans athletes preparing to travel to the US for international games, competitions, and events. On top of the attacks leveled against trans citizens of the US in the form of passport, birth certificate and ID destruction, this directive constitutes a clear attack on global trans rights.
Need I remind folks World Pride is being held in DC this year. Without visa applications getting through, the event could be severely hamstrung. I doubt that this isn't an intended goal of this policy.
— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) February 25, 2025 at 10:24 AM
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As Alejandra Caraballo points out, it’s not just about sports, either. With World Pride set to take place in Washington D.C. this year, the directive could end up being used as an excuse to exclude trans folks from participating in any kind of public event, not just in the realm of sports.
“In cases where applicants are suspected of misrepresenting their purpose of travel or sex, you should consider whether this misrepresentation is material such that it supports an ineligibility finding,” reads the Marco Rubio-penned directive. Of course, what constitutes “misrepresenting sex” is completely at the whim of a government already predisposed to discriminate against trans people. And unlike other visa bans, being found guilty of misrepresentation could get trans travelers permanently banned from the states.
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Just in case you weren’t terrified before
The parallels to Nazi Germany are obvious by this point, but it bears repeating: controlling where citizens can and can’t go, and whether trans people can or cannot enter the country, is one of the most obvious signs of fascist intent there is.
“Setting the precedent that filling out a gender marker that does not correspond with your sex assigned at birth constitutes material fraud is a horrifying precedent to set,” Caraballo noted in their Bluesky post about the directive. “They can prosecute trans people simply for stating who they are to government officials.” Exactly: if having a gender identity that differs from your sex assignment at birth is considered fraud on a national level, it puts every trans person in America in danger of imprisonment on a ludicrous charge that’s too vague to be properly contested. We’ve already spoken about the dangers of getting arrested and subsequently v-coded under this administration—directives like this only serve to make our legal existence feel more tenuous than ever.
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