The Fear of Traveling as a Trans Person

As I return home from a trip to Canada, I walk through the twists and turns of Toronto’s Pearson Airport, following the signs with American flags pointing me in the direction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Canadian airport staff check my passport multiple times, but as I get closer to the U.S. clearance area, I feel the stakes rising. The U.S. border protection agent motions me to approach the counter and present my U.S. passport. He mumbles; doesn’t smile. I wonder what he sees on his computer screen...