1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I'm asking you to oppose the administration's escalating attacks on transgender people, including the new State Department visa rule requiring applicants to identify their sex assigned at birth and Idaho's bill criminalizing bathroom use. These policies harm everyone, not just transgender and non-binary Americans. The State Department rule forces visa applicants to disregard their gender identity and exposes transgender travelers to scrutiny, delays, visa denials, and deportation. Immigration attorneys warn that discrepancies between documents can surface during border inspections and removal proceedings, feeding information directly into ICE enforcement databases. Idaho's legislation threatens transgender people with up to a year in jail for a first bathroom offense and five years in prison for repeat violations. Nikson Matthews, a bearded transgender man, testified that he could face jail time for using the men's bathroom if someone recognizes he's transgender and calls police. These policies don't just target LGBTQIA people. They create a system where anyone whose appearance doesn't match someone's assumptions about gender can face harassment, interrogation, and legal consequences. Cisgender people who don't conform to stereotypical gender presentation will be caught in this dragnet. I need you to publicly oppose these measures and work to protect all Americans from government-sanctioned discrimination.