Game designer cancels US trip over new Visa restrictions for trans people

Icelandic game designer Steingerður Lóa Gunnarsdóttir has canceled her planned trip to the United States following new visa regulations that bar trans individuals from entry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently issued a statement outlining that individuals whose gender identity differs from their gender assigned at birth may be denied entry into the U.S. and, in some cases, face a lifetime ban.

A career-defining conference now out of reach

Gunnarsdóttir was scheduled to fly to San Francisco on Friday to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC), a key industry event she has attended eight times. As a freelance game designer, she has built vital professional relationships at the conference over the years. She also manages and runs a board game corner at the event for the board game news outlet Shut Up & Sit Down (SU&SD) .

Despite concerns over the political climate in the U.S., Gunnarsdóttir initially planned to attend, believing that everyday people—particularly in New York and California—remain welcoming and kind.

However, upon learning of the new visa restrictions, she ultimately decided that the risk of being denied entry at the border was too great.

“There was a good chance I could have entered without issue, but it simply wasn’t worth the risk,” she says.

Canceling the trip was not a simple decision. Over the past week, she has had to rearrange flights, and accommodations, and find a last-minute replacement for her responsibilities at the conference.

A growing list of no-go countries

For the first time in her career, Gunnarsdóttir says she feels her rights as a professional have been directly violated.

“It never occurred to me that I would have to add the United States to the list of places I can’t travel to,” she reflects.

The impact of missing GDC goes beyond personal disappointment—it is a networking hub that opens doors to job opportunities in the gaming industry.

Over the years, she has received free conference passes and accommodations in exchange for leading a volunteer team managing the board game section. This year, she had to find a replacement on short notice to take over her duties at an event hosting 30,000 attendees.

Fortunately, she received strong support from SU&SD. “There is a trans person on the team, so there was a lot of understanding for my situation,” she says.

Instead of GDC, she has now set her sights on attending a gaming festival in Berlin in May.

An accomplished game designer and educator

With a decade of experience in game design, Gunnarsdóttir teaches at Reykjavík University and has self-published three games— Triple Agent and Out in the Field for mobile platforms, and Sumer for Nintendo Switch.

While acknowledging that broader human rights issues are at stake, she felt compelled to share her experience to highlight the real-life consequences of these policies.

“There’s so much happening in the world, but you rarely hear about the direct impact these regulations have on the people around you,” she writes.