Passport solutions sought as N.B. 2SLGBTQ+ community faces another Trump presidency

A free clinic for gender-diverse people in New Brunswick seeking guidance on changing their identification documents will have its next meeting in February, but for the first time, organizers may not be able to help. 

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the first week of his presidency mandating his government recognize only two sexes: male and female. The order requires all federal documents to refer to "sex" instead of "gender."

His administration has not answered questions about what that means for non-binary Canadians, who've been able to use "X" as a gender marker on their passports since 2019. 

"Will those passports be recognized? Will they be confiscated at the border? Will it be safe to travel into the States with these documents?" asked Nicki Lyons-MacFarlane, chair of the Imprint Youth Association in Fredericton, which works with 2SLGBTQ+ youth and runs the Trans ID clinic alongside the Pro Bono Students Canada chapter at UNB's law faculty and law firm McInnes Cooper.

The lack of information creates a choice between having identification that accurately reflects who you are and safely travelling to the U.S., Lyons-MacFarlane said, and they're already receiving questions about what people should do.

"The queer community is resilient," Lyons-MacFarlane said, adding law students and lawyers are already trying to gather what information they can for the next clinic.

"We are everywhere. We're going to do what we can to get through this, find those answers, keep advocating."

The confusion surrounding identification is just one example of an uncertain, terrifying time, Lyons-MacFarlane said, noting that Canada is about to have its own federal election. 

"We've seen in New Brunswick in the last couple years how that rhetoric does impact us here. They're our neighbours, but what happens in the States does fuel its way here. It doesn't stop at the borders, the rhetoric is online."

Chroma N.B., an organization for 2SLGBTQ+ people in Saint John, recommends creating circles of care.

"Check in on your friends and family and loved ones because there's a good chance there's some anxiety and fear there," said Mariah Darling, Chroma's education co-ordinator.

Darling said feelings of fear and anxiety in the community are valid and people should take time to be kind to themselves.