The organizer of the conference on transgender history in Canada says that the US participants are now afraid to cross the border

The chairman of transgender studies at the University of Victoria is concerned about participating in this year’s Moving Trans History Forward conference, with expectations of a 40 -long drop in number.

Aaron Devor says that potential American students are reluctant to cross the border – not because of what could happen when they enter Canada, but what could happen when they try to return to the United States.

He says that President Donald Trump’s American administration sent a cold through the Trans Community in January, with an executive order that the Federal Government recognizes two sexes, men and women, who cannot change and are “immutable biological classification” from conception.

Devor says two -year -old Trans History Conference This starts on Thursday, 500 participants hoped on the basis of past events, but only about 300 are expected.

“The difference, I attribute almost entirely to Americans who are afraid to leave their own country,” said Devor, who is the founder and host of the conference.

Trump’s executive command says that all identification of the issued government, including passports and visas, must “reflect the gender of the owner” accurately.

The American State Department announced that it would stop issuing passenger documents labeled “X” generations preferred by many non-binical people, and will only issue passports with “M” or “F”, which corresponds to a man’s “biological sex” at birth.

“What I see has changed in the light of Trump’s administration, and the actions taken by Trump’s administration is that trans-plus people from the US are very nervous about moving to Canada to come to the conference because they have to return to the United States,” Devor said.

The conference, which lasts until Sunday, includes activists, academics and artists from all over the world, says the University, with more than 100 guests who make presentations.

Organizers say the event is dealing with “and our history and key questions that affect us today and in the future – local, nationally and globally.”

Retired American Lieutenant to speak

American philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker, who gave a fundamental gift to help start chairs in transgender studies at Victoria University, was scheduled as a speaker on Thursday night.

The Prtizker retired as a landowner from the Illinois National Army Guard, which identified itself as transgender in 2013.

She was critical of Trump’s attempts to ban transgender troops to serve in the army, Come to PBS program Chicago tonight This week it would cause chaos and destroyed morals.

Adrienne Smith’s social justice lawyer, who was invited to a panel chair at the conference, said Trump’s administration has expanded misinformation and transfoba, leaving members of the Trans Community who feel very uncertain.

“And I think it’s important to note that trans people have always been afraid. We have always lived in the shadow of danger, but that danger is much bigger and much closer now,” Smith said.

Smith applauded the conference to allow video attendance this year for the first time.

The first conference of moving trans history continued at the University of 2014 with about 100 activists and researchers who attended the event.

Devor said that the context of this year’s conference has moved, with “so much anti-trans rhetoric and organization.”

“And we are facing the president of the most powerful nation in the world, which is trying to pretend that trans people do not exist at all and do their best to delete any evidence that there are trans people,” Devor said.

Legal Center flooded with immigration requirements

Smith, who is the director of the Catherine White Holman Welness Center, which provides free legal services in Vancouver, said their office was overwhelmed by the immigration demands of Trans People, who hope to leave the United States and come to Canada.

But Smith said there were few immigration paths available for them.

They said that Trump’s administration wanted to be painted and withdrawn from public life.

“And you do not go to important things like a conference where we can talk about research and human rights, not to gather, not know where we are each other, and we really separate us from our community,” Smith said.

“It’s deliberately working.”

Listen They and usOriginal Podcast CBC British Columbia exploring gender identity outside the binary. Subscribe to cbc.ca/theyandus.