Bacon-Evans is responding to the news that Donald Trump has signed executive orders to roll back on legislation designed to protect minority groups and the LGBTQ+ community.
During his inaugural address, Trump said: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Republicans spent in the region of US$215m on anti-transgender advertisements during the election. So while it came as little surprise, Trump’s executive orders have prompted a backlash from human rights campaigners and civil liberties groups, with a bishop urging Donald Trump to “have mercy” on transgender children earlier this week. The LGBTQ+ community overseas has taken notice, too.
‘It’s worrying what else is to come’
“With LGBTQ+ and women’s rights being rolled back in America, it’s worrying what else is to come,” says Megan Bacon-Evans, who writes for the blog What Wegan Did Next with her American wife, Whitney.
“Instead, we’re welcoming our family and friends to visit us here. The US will always hold a special place in our hearts – we got engaged in Hawaii and married in California – but for now, we’re prioritising destinations that are safe and welcoming.”
Darren Burn, the CEO of the luxury travel company OutOfOffice.com, which specialises in holidays for the LGBTQ+ community, describes Trump’s order as a “major blow for trans people in America and internationally”.
“Where America leads, much of the world follows,” says Burn. “Trump is facing many lawsuits from states challenging his flurry of executive orders. We hope to see this one challenged in the courts and ultimately rescinded.
“In the meantime, we’ll be working with our many trans clients to ensure they can travel safely. America is not the only challenging destination for trans people. Some are far more restrictive – on paper, at least – but still popular with trans and other LGBTQ+ travellers. These include Morocco and the Maldives.”
Homosexuality is deemed a criminal act in 64 countries, nearly half of which are in Africa. But a number have taken steps towards improving equal rights. The Seychelles has scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years, while Singapore, Barbados and Antigua are among the countries where politicians or courts are pushing back against longstanding discriminatory laws. This week, more than a thousand LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand will get married as same-sex unions became legal.
There could be additional complications for some trans travellers entering America. Canada, for example, has introduced a gender-neutral option for people applying for a new passport, allowing them to put an “X” instead of listing male or female as their gender.
Fae Johnstone, a prominent Canadian trans activist, says she will be avoiding travel to the US after Donald Trump said he would only recognise two genders. Johnstone has also urged Canada to update its travel guidelines to explain what this means for trans Canadians crossing the border who have an “X” printed instead of male or female.
Johnstone told The Canadian Press it was an “assault on the very existence of trans and gender-diverse people both in America and around the world”.
‘It would be foolish to abandon the places striving for positive change’
Some have expressed fears that Trump’s measures could have another knock-on effect. Sion Walton-Guest, travel content creator for The Globetrotter Guys, fears that Trump’s executive orders could stoke homophobic sentiment in the country.
“There is no doubt that LGBTQ+ travellers will need to think more carefully than ever when travelling to the US,” says Walton-Guest. “Trump has created uncertainty and fear, and his rhetoric encourages people that may already be homophobic, transphobic or racist to proudly display those feelings.
“However, and this is critical, the US is huge and it would be foolish to abandon the many states, people, businesses and places in the US that are striving for positive change and making sure that LGBTQ+ travellers remain safe, welcome and able to enjoy some of the amazing places on offer.”
It is not only people from LGBTQ+ groups questioning whether they want to travel to Trump-era America. According to a poll by the travel company Holiday Extras, taken on the US election day last November, 17 per cent of Britons said they would not travel to the States in 2025 as a result of Trump becoming president for a second term.
“This is the first time we’ve seen [almost] 20 per cent of holidaymakers think about changing their plans in response to an election overseas – that’s almost the same as the 22 per cent who say their plans might be disrupted by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine,” said Seamus McCauley, head of public affairs at Holiday Extras.
Attitudes ‘differ hugely’, says FCDO
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises: “The US is a very diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT+ people differ hugely across the country.” The FCDO advises travellers to visit the Human Rights Campaign website (hrc.org) for more information.
However, many states are at pains to stress that they remain open to all. In response to Trump’s executive orders, a spokesperson for Visit California told The Telegraph: “The state has always been a beautiful melting pot – culturally and creatively – with diversity embedded in its DNA. California is, and will always be, a safe and welcoming destination for all travellers.”
Tags: Megan Bacon-Evans, Seamus McCauley, Holiday Extras, Walton-Guest, LGBTQ+ travellers