In response, Denmark and Finland recently changed their travel advisories for transgender people looking to visit the United States. These updates follow growing outcry over TDA’s entrance procedures and risk of barring transgender travelers from entering the country. The Danish travel advisory page now leads with that crucial piece of information. Even with a visa or entry waiver, your admission to the US is not assured – the ultimate authority rests with US border personnel.
The LGBT+ Danmark umbrella organization even issued a travel advisory regarding the travel experiences of transgender people. In reaction, we returned to the drawing board. The US Electronic System for Travel Authorization application form only allows travelers to choose male or female as their gender. This limitation has posed serious problems for people whose passport gender marker doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth.
"If your passport has the gender designation X or you have changed gender, it is recommended to contact the US embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed," reads the Danish travel advisory page.
Finland has recently released its updated travel advisory. It specifically warns that US authorities might deny entry if there is an inconsistency between a traveler’s passport and their sex assigned at birth.
“If the applicant’s current sex on their passport is different from their sex confirmed at birth, the US authorities may refuse entry,” according to Finland's advice page.
The US embassy in Copenhagen recommends that transgender travelers reach out to them prior to traveling. This is to help them avoid any last minute hiccups regarding their travel documents. We applaud this step toward preventing unnecessary complications at our borders.
The Danish foreign ministry made no reference to the actions of former President Donald Trump in its advisory. Though standard fare for her Index, it’s telling that over the course of his presidency, Trump made attacks on trans and non-binary people a top priority. His administration even announced that it would no longer recognize the existence of more than two genders. He signed executive orders to remove transgender individuals from the US military, bar them from competing, and restrict gender-transition procedures for people under 19 years old.
“We are worried that people could be stopped at the airport and refused entry, or that something inappropriate and uncomfortable could happen at the airport,” expressed Susanne Branner Jespersen, reflecting broader concerns among advocacy groups.
Denmark has one of the most progressive approaches by allowing its citizens to gender themselves as X on all official documents. This policy creates additional burdens for travelers who travel to countries with varying degrees of gender recognition.