Canadian musician Bells Larsen announced on Friday that he must cancel his upcoming U.S. tour dates due to visa issues arising from policies implemented during the Trump administration that target transgender individuals.
Larsen, a trans man, shared an Instagram post revealing that the American Federation of Musicians had informed him this week that he was “no longer able to apply for a Visa because US immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one’s assigned sex at birth.”
“To put it simply, because I’m trans (and have an M on my passport), I can’t tour the States,” Larsen expressed. “I hesitate to append a ‘right now’ or an ‘anymore’ to that statement, as — in this sociopolitical climate — I genuinely don’t know which phrasing is more accurate. The irony that this announcement comes exactly two weeks before my album release, which centers on my transition, is not lost on me.”
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring documents such as passports, visas, and Global Entry cards to reflect a person’s biological sex. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its policy last week in accordance with this directive.
Larsen had initially planned to perform in several U.S. cities this spring, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He lamented that the requirement has “crushed my dreams.” “I’m cradling a very broken heart and the realization that I don’t know if or when I will be able to tour in the States again,” he wrote. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that I shaped my transition around Blurring Time. This album is, in many ways, my life’s work. I feel increasingly devastated with each passing day as I grapple with the dissonance between the world in which I created this project and the world into which I am releasing it.”
The new immigration policies have sparked unease throughout the music industry. Neil Young, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., criticized Trump earlier this month, expressing concerns about being barred from re-entering the United States following his European tour later this summer. “If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for freedom?” Young remarked.
Before this week, Larsen had already been contemplating whether to proceed with the tour, referencing “border horror stories” and “troublesome updates on the news.” He intended to tour “in the safest way possible,” but discussions with immigration lawyers, along with the recent email, made it “clear to me that there was no way to move forward here.”
Larsen is not the only transgender performer in the entertainment industry who has voiced concerns regarding the executive order’s impact. In February, Hunter Schafer shared her experience of receiving a passport that listed her sex as male. “A letter and a passport can’t change that and screw this administration,” Schafer stated. “I don’t really have a solution for this, but I felt it was crucial to share. This is real. So yeah, screw it.”
Larsen’s Canadian shows will continue as planned, and tickets are available on his website. He concluded his message by encouraging Canadian musicians to support one another: “Go to each other’s shows, check in on each other, and stay informed about travel regulations so we can all make educated decisions to protect ourselves.”
“While it has been progressively nerve-wracking, I will continue to be my most authentic self in the public eye in hopes that others might find courage and solace in the music I make,” Larsen wrote. “I consider it an honor, a challenge, and a duty to bring queer joy, power, and catharsis to audiences through my project, and I can’t wait to perform Blurring Time on stages across Canada this spring, summer, and fall.”
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