Transgender Americans aim to block Trump's passport policy change

Donald Trumppresident

As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”

Mr Trump also raised the issue in his inaugural address, stating

ESTA and visa application forms to the US require travelers to declare their sex. The US authorities have indicated that this should reflect the traveler's biological sex at birth. Travellers who have an "X" marker on their passport or whose sex on their passport differs from sex assigned at birth should contact the Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin for further details on specific entry requirements."

Ireland's government website issued an update to its transgender citizens, which stated

This policy is not a passport policy. It's an anti-trans policy and the executive order is very clear about that,

ACLU lawyer Li Nowlin-Soul, said after the court hearing

Julia Kobickjudge

Do you dispute the recent executive orders take away rights or take away things that transgender people had?"

Kobick asked Benjamin Takemoto, the Justice Department lawyer who denied the passport policy was anti-trans, in part because it doesn't mention transgender people

We all have a right to accurate identity documents, and this policy invites harassment, discrimination, and violence against transgender Americans who can no longer obtain or renew a passport that matches who they are,

ACLU lawyer Sruti Swaminathan said

All have faced prior mistreatment due to their gender identities, and they fear that having incorrect sex designations on their passports will cause them further mistreatment — including putting them in danger,

the ACLU wrote

Some Plaintiffs additionally allege that having inconsistent identification documents will heighten the risk that an official will discover that they are transgender,

the Justice Department wrote

This is preventing me from having an accurate identification and the freedom to move about the country as well as internationally,

said Orr, who is among seven plaintiffs — five transgender Americans and two nonbinary plaintiffs — who have sued the Trump administration in federal court over the policy

As a general rule, government travel advisories are an influential element in the destination choice for international travel.”

David Beirman, a senior lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney who specializes in tourism, said

It is a reality that advisories can shape public perception and discourse about the target country, indirectly influencing political relations,

said Diego R. Toubes, a professor at the University of Vigo in Spain who has studied how travel advisories can function as covert political sanctions

Destination branding is shaped as much by policy as by marketing ... Travelers from

he said, noting ... Vorobjovas-Pinta added

People decide on traveling (or not) to destinations based on multiple pieces of information and perspectives, ... It takes time and effort to change the images people have of destinations.”

he wrote in an email, adding

Overall, there may be a decline in confidence,

he said,