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Transgender comedian Ava Val had aspirations of relocating to the United States to embark on a tour, but her plans were thwarted by visa complications and a rising climate of hostility toward transgender individuals, leading her to cancel that segment of her tour.
In a conversation with Saskatoon Morning host Stephanie Massicotte, Val shared that her journey into comedy was influenced in part by the British sitcom Mr. Bean, which provided a sense of unity for her family—an experience she hoped to recreate on her tour.
Val had planned to tour and reside in the U.S. this June, but her visa application faced unexpected delays, prompting her cancellation.
“As the current [U.S.] administration continued to evolve, it became increasingly clear that hostility towards trans people was on the rise,” Val, who is based in Toronto, remarked.
U.S. President Donald Trump asserted in his inaugural address that “it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” followed by a series of executive orders aimed at reshaping policies around gender and diversity.
These changes included a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio titled Guidance for Visa Adjudicators on Executive Order 14201: ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’ which mandated that “all visas must reflect an applicant’s sex at birth.”
“At that point, I thought, maybe I won’t even be permitted there, so I should consider other options,” Val said.
“I don’t want to perform in a space where I’m not welcome. So, I’ll create my own opportunities; I’ll head to Saskatoon and compete against Pierre Poilievre,” Val quipped, referencing a Conservative Party rally scheduled the same night as her show.
Art Gallery CEO’s Passport Experience
John Hampton, a two-spirit individual and CEO of the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, has also felt the impact of the U.S. administration’s gender policy shifts. A dual citizen, Hampton frequently crosses the border for both work and personal engagements.
They recently traveled for the opening of an exhibition at The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.
Hampton noted that during their U.S. passport renewal this year, they submitted the application well in advance.
Since 2019, Canadians who don’t identify strictly as male or female have been able to indicate gender as “X” on their passports, with approximately 3,600 Canadians utilizing this designation.
“I sent that in nice and early, but unfortunately, not early enough as it ended up getting delayed,” Hampton stated in an interview with CBC’s The 306.
Upon receiving the passport, Hampton discovered that the “X” had been altered to an “M.”
They bravely took their first trip to the U.S. with the updated passport in February, admitting they felt apprehensive at the border; however, the travels have, so far, gone “perfectly” smoothly.
Source
www.cbc.ca