Transgender Americans weigh leaving U.S. over Trump's policies. Some already have

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/transgender-americans-weigh-leaving-u-s-over-trump-s-policies-some-already-have/ar-AA1AhZBB?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6fd6b6f41de744b88ac69d9de5034581&ei=82

Story by Kevin Rector (5 March 2025)

Alexia Nunez presumed "things were going to be pretty bad" for transgender people under President Trump, given his campaign rhetoric, but had decided to stick it out in the U.S. "as long as possible."

Her breaking point came just days after Trump's inauguration, she said, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the suspension of passport applications seeking a gender marker different from an applicant's birth sex.

"I knew it was time to enact my emergency plan," Nunez said.

Transgender Americans and their families are reaching similar conclusions across the country amid numerous anti-transgender policies from the Trump administration. They include directives to defund or even criminalize gender-affirming medical care, punish teachers who support gender nonconforming kids at school, ban transgender people from bathrooms and sports teams, and cast doubt not only on their legal documents but their very existence.

Although many of Trump's proposed policies are being challenged in court, the fear and panic they have evoked is already widespread.

Both transgender adults and parents of transgender kids are comparing the risks of staying versus those of leaving. They are calculating the financial costs of moving versus the mental, emotional and physical costs of staying.

They are also eyeing asylum claims abroad and other potential paths to securing foreign visas, such as through work, schooling, lineage, real estate investments or other cash commitments. Those who can afford it are hiring lawyers and relocation specialists.

The one thing they are not considering, they said, is going back into the closet.

The problem is not just Executive Orders enacted by Trump. A new President can just as easily rescind those orders, the way that Trump rescinded Biden's orders. This is why so many states are pushing to codify the orders into state laws so they cannot be easily changed under a new administration or even a new legislature.

As these states become openly hostile, like Iowa, which just revoked all transgender civil rights, it will become increasingly difficult to find a safe harbor within the U.S.

I don't want to live in another country, but when your own government is hostile to you and your way of life, the best option might be to "vote with your feet" and leave. Who wants to live in a place where they are unwelcome? There are plenty of other places that are welcoming and supportive. I would rather support them with my tax dollars than donate to a hostile regime.

I feel frustrated and uneasy. I had a friend who went to Iceland. She wanted to start an organization to get us out of here and relocate us there because she had been told that Iceland is welcoming. I don't think that was the case. Something....went wrong.
I'm leery of some countries being welcoming or seeming to be but not for good reasons. I get the feeling they're actually looking for fresh meat for the sex trade. We need to be careful that none of us fall into something like that.

Quote from: Tig58072 on March 07, 2025, 09:49:46 AMWe need to be careful that none of us fall into something like that.

I am sorry to hear about your friend. You are correct that we need to do plenty of research on areas where we might want to relocate to.

I had originally set my sights on Mexico. My research revealed that although there are safe cities, overall, the country is dangerous for the very reasons you mentioned. Mexico has an asylum policy for people fleeing persecution due to gender identity or sexual preference, but the government does not have the infrastructure to enforce one's "protected" status. This is the reason that Mexico does not qualify for the Safe Third Country Agreement that exists between the U.S. and Canada. I am not so sure the U.S. even qualifies any longer, but until someone files a complaint, the status quo continues.

My backup plan is Thailand. Although, in general, homosexuality is frowned upon, the King recently signed into law allowing same-sex marriage, so that may be changing. Thailand is well-known worldwide for top-notch gender affirming surgeries, and we have members here who have been there for that. Some have, and still do, live there, so they could discuss that better than I.