Toronto singer-songwriter Bells Larsen is due to release his incredible sophomore album Blurring Time later this month, and he had plans to take it on tour in the States this summer. That will no longer be happening, as the musician has revealed that his gender identity is no longer recognized by US Immigration.
"I received an email on Tuesday from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am no longer able to apply for a visa because US Immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one's assigned sex at birth," he wrote in an email via Royal Mountain Records. "To put it super plainly, because I'm trans (and have an M on my passport), I can't tour in the States."
Larsen's trans identity has a significant role in the album, which features his vocals from before and after starting testosterone. "Through the creation of this album — and of myself, I suppose — I wanted to change 'or' to 'and' with the hopes of extending a hand to older versions of myself, carrying them with me as I grow," the musician said of Blurring Time upon its announcement.
"If random people are getting randomly questioned/stopped/detained at borders, how can I — as someone wanting to make money abroad by exhibiting my lived experience as a trans person — expect to pass go and get out of jail free?" he added in today's statement. "This new policy 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."
As of press time, Larsen's Canadian tour dates remain booked. Do yourself a favour by getting tickets in Toronto, Hamilton or Montreal.
Read Larsen's full statement below.
Hi everyone — I hope you're as well as can be.
I have to cancel all of the American shows on my spring tour (Boston, NYC, Beacon, LA, San Fran, Healdsburg, Arcata and Merced). Refunds will be available at your point of purchase. I received an email on Tuesday from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am 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 super plainly, because I'm trans (and have an M on my passport), I can't tour in the States. I hesitate to include a "right now" or an "anymore" at the end of my previous sentence, because — in this sociopolitical climate — I truly don't know which phrasing holds more truth. The irony of this announcement falling exactly two weeks before the release of my album, which is about my transition, is not lost on me.
Bureaucracy aside, I've been going back and forth for weeks now re: whether to go about business as usual with the tour or pull the plug while I'm ahead. The accumulation of border horror stories + worried check-in texts from loved ones + increasingly troublesome updates on the news and on official government websites with regards to travel precautions has resulted in a plethora of nightmares and anxiety. If random people are getting randomly questioned/stopped/detained at borders, how can I — as someone wanting to make money abroad by exhibiting my lived experience as a trans person — expect to pass go and get out of jail free? Before I heard about the policy, my plan was to tour with harm reduction in mind. "Yes, I'm doing something that has the potential to be risky and dangerous," I thought, "but I'm going about it in the safest way possible." I planned on travelling with another guy (who is cis), handing border agents a Visa and passport with M's on them, crossing borders via plane, and performing exclusively in blue states. I thought I'd be good to go, but the distressing stories, texts, and updates kept multiplying. And again, I was thinking about all of this through a trans lens, which made everything all the more complicated. After chatting with two immigration lawyers this week and then getting that email from the AFM, it's clear to me that there is no way to move forward here.
This new policy 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.
I am not exaggerating when I say that I shaped my transition around Blurring Time. This album is, in many ways, my life's work. I am more and more gutted with every day that passes by the (seeming) dissonance between the world in which I created this project and the world into which I am releasing it. I was hoping that the album would help me break into the US music market and connect with cool, likeminded American musicians. More than anything, though, I just really wanted to perform my album for queer and trans people in the US who saw their stories reflected in my own. As Marian Wright Edelman says, you can't be what you can't see. I'm so thankful for the work my queer and trans community members have done that has allowed me to exist more truthfully and I'm sad that I won't be able to do that for others through live music in the States.
To my fellow Canadian musicians — with spring/summer tours and festival season around the corner, I feel like it's really easy to get lost in the sauce of the music industry. As much as possible, let's go to each other's shows, check in on each other, and keep each other in the know about travel regulations so we can all make informed decisions in order to protect ourselves. Selfishly, I hope you will consider inviting me to accompany you on your Canadian or even EU/UK tours so that I can offer my album the longevity that it deserves.
To my Canadian friends and listeners — my shows in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montreal are scheduled to go on as planned and I'll be putting my entire being into them. If you haven't done so already, please consider buying a ticket to come see the band and I/support us. If you're trans, would like to come to a show, and are experiencing financial difficulties, shoot me a DM and I'll make sure you have a ticket. I encourage racialized trans people in particular to reach out.
While it has been progressively nerve wracking, I will continue to be my most authentic self in the public eye in the hopes that others might find courage and solace in the music I make. I consider it an honour, 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.
Take care of one another, stay safe out there, and please don't forget to vote in the Canadian federal election at the end of the month.
xo Bells