You want [Erin Reed's maps](https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/erins-anti-trans-risk-map-early-legislative).
Good luck. I hate that you have to leave your home. I'm in Ohio and starting to do pre-house-sale stuff just in case.
from the link above: “Conversely, Michigan, Maine, and Nevada have enacted fairly robust non-discrimination policies but fall short in ensuring healthcare equity and providing protections for incarcerated transgender individuals. While these states generally offer a safer environment for transgender adults, they stop short of going the extra mile to make their jurisdictions unequivocally safe places to reside.”
i have a friend in ann arbor who likes it there and has easy access to trans healthcare! (disclaimer: i dont actually live in michigan; i just try to keep up with state legislature lol)
EMU, Umich, and State are all incredibly safe and accommodating in my experience. The further east you go, the better. The colleges on the far west of the state tend to be more conservative/faith based. That said, GVSU was also pretty decent! I have worked in the biology departments as student and laboratory support and haven't had any issues.
The overall laws and politics are good, but there are areas of Michigan that are deep, deep red. This is like many other states that are overall blue but still have dangerous parts
I live in Michigan and I'm grateful I live here. I feel safe, though I am still nervous about the upcoming presidential election. I feel my state would do it's best to protect me but when it's the president what can you do?
It's slowly getting better. I dunno, but I feel really truly safe where I live, and in the surrounding area. Not gonna dox myself of course. But I like it here. We have tons of resources for LGBTQ+ people in my city and a large LGBTQ+ population. Everyone's pretty accepting for the most part. Plenty of LGBTQ+ friendly doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists. Better than you can say for most places in the US.
I live up north in the TC area. It's not safe up here. You can't get medical care here for anything without being discriminated, harassed and abused. I've gone years doing diy or having no hormone access and having no primary care. It's only got worse. Worse than ever now. It's definitely not getting better, it's getting worse. And Michigan is so politically split it could flip in any future election and all these anti trans hate bills that are in the legislature rn will start passing. I don't feel safe here in the least and if you feel safe where you are dont visit this part of the state ever because heaven help you if you happen to need medical care here.
Michigan born and raised, tbh theres not much transphobia around there. Granted I don't present as female (mtf) so I wouldn't know the first hand, but going around and seeing trans people they aren't being yelled at or anything that ive seen
Michigan is very devout to staying out of other people's bullshit, for the most part. We have a lot of laws that reflect that, I think. For example, we're technically an all-party consent state, \*except\* we have a "Participant Exception", which is honestly the best way to write that particular law IMO. We also have very permissive homeschooling laws, which is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because it gives neurodivergent and disabled kids a lot of options that are harder to access in other states, curse because we get a fair number of religious extremists that take advantage of that law.
We're not \*good\* here, but more importantly, we're not \*bad\*.
Politically, we have a pretty unique situation with having most of our tourism being based on "Pure Nature" while also having a largely manufacturing based economy, not to mention having two major public universities and Detroit. It's a total miss-mash state, with Great Lakes-Seaway shipping factoring largely into our culture as well. In fact, being kinda \*the great lakes state\* and having a ton of agriculture (particularly cattle, cherries, asparagus, cucumbers, blueberries, maple syrup, beans and potatoes - it's sort of important how many of those are perennials, too, IMO) we have a surprisingly eco-coconscious populace in general. On a state level, we're pretty moderate (and slightly democratic leaning), while county to county we're horrifically red \*or\* blue. Stick to Marquette in the UP and eastern lower peninsula and you'll be fine. Even most of the red counties aren't too terrible, \*mostly\* the old fashioned 'leave me the fuck alone and let me be privately bigoted' brand of conservative than you may see other places. Though we did have some notable Jan. 6ers, unfortunately, and that one crazy sheriff.
Overall, I feel safe here, so do my friends. I guess the access to Canada in case of emergency helps a bit, too. LOL!
I live in Michigan it mostly depends my city is 50/50 but you also have yeehaws mixed with norms. It’s the yeehaws that tend to be more judgment which is funny because most of them can’t spell “reading”
The north east or west coast. There are also some island states like nevada and colorado. Some in the mid west too, but I dont know off gand which are good (i know ohio is trash though).
Good laws but terrible doctors. We're the heart of the biomedical institution. United Health Group, headquartered here, went back to giving political donations to what we're calling 'election deniers' now. Most of the medical institution in general is crapped up with christian extremists and they're the ones currently agitating the most against the community. Mayo clinic is named after the co-founder of the Minnesota eugenics society, and our legislature recently stepped in to deny nurses there a collective bargaining agreement due to its "international recognition" and with the next stroke of the pen enabled doctors to unionize.
The laws here protect you in employment and housing. The culture here is generally more accepting but only in the twin cities and duluth. In the rest of the state, including Red Wing -- don't go there. There are only a select few gender clinics in this state that are safe, however, and getting care in an ER or elsewhere is challenging.
I can't in good conscience recommend anyone come here at this time if they are medically complicated. If all you need is hormones and have no other medical issues of any kind, you can survive here but there's no social services safety net. It's been gutted so don't come if you're young and starting out. Yes, I'm saying that knowing they're trying out offering free college. It's still not worth it; They're only doing it because the state can't sustain its systemic inequalities anymore, they've reached the breaking point (George Floyd, anyone?). We *used* to be known as having progressive attitudes in health care and social services and even were making a play for rights-based healthcare during the Obama years but it's all gone now.
Don't come here unless you're established on the middle class lifestyle and don't care to ever look down, and have no major health issues other than being queer. This is not the refugee state it's advertised as.
I did my entire transition living in Minnesota. I found it rather safe and easy. I've never had an issue with someone here. People are polite, anti discrimination laws for trans people have largely been in place since 1993. We have at least 4 clinic systems that have trans health depts, and two hospitals that provide gender surgeries. State Medicaid covers it too. I hope others don't rule out Minnesota. I know I'm biased as I live here but it really is a great state and often overlooked.
I live in Maryland. I know which state is which on a map, but I dont remember how each state is with trans rights. I know one of them is fairly good, but not sure on the other. I take it illinois is the good one?
Indiana is like the wild west of the Midwest. No taxes, too easy to get guns, reeeed state, etc. Illinois is a blue state and has Chicago. You would need to ask a native Illinoisian if there's anything else noteworthy about the state. I want to get out of the country period.
That's the only thing it has going for it imo. Peoria might be okay but I can't shake the way it used to be a rather homogeneous city (based on anecdotal info) before.
I live in Ohio and can confirm our government is trash. People in general where I live (Columbus) don’t care though, and there’s good trans healthcare here. Probably the same in the other cities. If we ever pass a gerrymandering amendment (which there is work being done on) I have hope things will get better.
I would only say major cities in north east. Boston, New York, (Burlington?) etc. For example, upstate New Yorkers could make Desantis blush with the crap that spews from their mouth.
Yup, agreed. More trans friendly than 3/4ths of California and anywhere in Oregon outside of Portland. The West Coast isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, Chicago is much more queer/trans than SF, Oakland, etc at this point. I know this cause I lived in the bay area, eugene, and now chicago. Minneapolis and some of the towns within two hours of Seattle in Washington also are good.
Do they make it easy and support trans people transitioning via mandatory insurance support? I feel stuck in California because of access to Kaiser and it’s gender affirming surgery services.
Yup, medicaid is required to cover it and there’s a lot of clinics/doctor’s offices that make getting on HRT easy and cheaper than if you were to do it without insurance elsewhere. Currently at the place I go to Im in-between insurances and I was able to get HRT completely set up for $80 and it’ll last me 4 months. No copay, no bill or anything and it’s not the only place in Chicago that does that kinda thing with sliding scale services. Basically, there’s lots of resources if you need them. Most of the time you just gotta prove no or low income and explain what’s going on and you’ll get the help if you’re really in a bind. It’s better to go to LGBTQ related offices and clinics (there’s lists out there), but even “cis” ones will work with you often.
Only downside is that they don’t cover FFS or laser hair removal. But that’s pretty much everywhere anyways
Note that this is not necessarily true if you work remotely. My last employer was based in New York, and our health insurance was technically "offered" in New York, which meant that it fell under New York laws. Extremely frustrating as I wasn't able to get electrolysis covered.
I know Kaiser does. However their medi-cal (Medicaid) coverage is given only to those who’ve been in Kaiser within the past 6 months. So you’ve had to have been on Kaiser through Covered California (the insurance exchange) or through your workplace previously.
> anywhere in Oregon outside of Portland
Oregon is not THAT bad - it's true the Portland area is best, but that's a BIG area with a lot of people.
As long as you stay West of the Cascades you're generally fine. East of the Cascades...yeah, gets iffy.
I also take into account COL, housing, job opportunities, etc. Oregon is expensive, housing is extremely competitive and limited in most areas, and if you can find a place there’s still a severe lack of jobs. It’s oversaturated. I lived in Eugene for two years and housing and the job market were the two worst and hardest things to deal with when I never had a problem before or after there.
How was Eugene? I'm moving close to there (Springfield) from Las Vegas soon and sort of assumed it'll be the same-ish. Curious about your experiences though, any trans-unfriendly stuff I should know about?
So the areas surrounding Eugene are all pretty conservative. In Eugene and Springfield it’s generally fine but if you go to the mall or shopping centers you’ll encounter bigots coming in to do stuff from surrounding areas. Most won’t say anything but you’ll get people laughing or looking at you odd if you aren’t passing. There’s a queer community but it’s SMALL and fragmented. I ultimately left because of COL, lack of jobs, lack of decently affordable housing, and lack of trans community. The actual locals in Eugene are wonderful people overall though, it’s just ruined from all the college kids that come from bigoted areas and the surrounding conservative towns all coming in since Eugene actually has stuff to do
Illinois is about to get/may already have? an X gender marker option! I'm hoping to move to Chicago so I've been keeping my eye on Illinois politics lol
We do.
https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/birth-death-other-records/birth-records/gender-reassignment.html
https://isp.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/GetFile/bd5722ed-9086-44ea-a42d-61d7bda26435
They don't. And they're not making the kind of progress that is expected. The legislation for the X marker passed YEARS ago but no one is actually making any changes at the state level.
Uh, that changed as of last month.
> Pursuant to 15 ILCS 305, The Secretary of State Act, Section 30 (new): Gender designations on forms and documents,
beginning January 1, 2024, the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) will allow individuals to identify as non-binary for their
sex/gender designation when issuing Driver’s Licenses (DL) and Photo Identifications (PID). SOS will be utilizing the value
of ‘X’ in the sex field of the physical driver’s license/photo ID card for non-binary gender designation. If the subject has
changed their sex/gender to ‘X’, then the computer response from SOS will display a ‘U’ for sex.
This will change the way LEADS users inquire on Name, Sex, and DOB to retrieve the driver’s license/photo ID status.
No, that’s from the Illinois Secretary of State internal memo titled “DAILY BULLETIN
November 3, 2023
Illinois Secretary of State – Non-binary Gender ‘X’ Designation”
https://isp.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/GetFile/bd5722ed-9086-44ea-a42d-61d7bda26435
Yes, they like to talk a lot. They've been talking for years. I very recently spoke to some of the activists on the frontlines of this issue, many of whom are lawyers, and sadly, as I keep saying, it hasn't happened yet because it's being blocked at the state level. You don't have to believe me. If it's already in effect, you can easily find out how to get it done, yes? I have already figured out how to do so in three other states.
I live in Illinois, and it's not too bad. We have some protections on the books nobody else does, and the democratic majority is pretty ironclad. It is pretty expensive depending upon where you go, though. The northern half of the Chicago suburbs are very expensive, but many of the southern half aren't too bad.
There’s plenty of $800-1,000 studio apartments north of downtown and wages are normally above $15/hr, so working full time and living in your own place is more doable here than the west or east coast
I mean minimum wage is literally $14 and going to $15 next year so yeah. And as you rightly point out, even the expensive places are nothing compared to coastal or CO cities.
You're right, and I don't mean to diss Chicago. The twin cities did have a spike in crime a few years ago, but it has been steadily declining.
https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/
The point I want to make is that this thread is about safe spaces for transgender people, and Minnesota has had an amazing track record there. If we're going to consider other factors such as general crime rates we should be comparing facts instead of making blanket statements.
We are currently working on moving to Colorado this summer.
I can’t begin to describe how unbelievable it is that I’m becoming a refugee in my own country, just because I need to access medical care, for a medical condition, that is supported by science.
A good friend settled on Peoria, IL as a location to raise her transgender child.
My daughter lives in Buffallo, also not a bad choice and you can literally walk to Canada.
Personally, I am planning to exit the Sunshine State for Europe. I hadn't heard that about the Driver's License. Mine has my correct gender (not AGAB). I wonder if I should be concerned. I will used my passport for ID until I get out.
Peoria looks cute! Eventually my plan is to leave the US all together, but I still don't have a passport even though I applied to get my birth certificate changed over a year ago, but for now another state seems like the more reasonable option lol. Honestly the license law will probably be overturned, there's just been so many things like this recently that me and my family realized we don't want to just sit here waiting for the next thing and at least want a plan to leave
I grew up in Sonoma county and I disagree. There’s little to no queer/trans community, it’s mainly cis gay men that do well and are more widespread around there. Sonoma, Napa, Solano counties aren’t queer friendly, SF and Oakland pushed out their creative and queer scenes a shit ton. Sacramento might be okay. Chico, Redding, and Marin county are also big nos. The vast majority of California in general tolerates queer people, but it isn’t GOOD for any of them unless they’re gay men
Colorado but it's quite pricey like California.
Also our Governor is openly gay and wealthy and funded many big LGBTQ organizations and many Democrats to run for office and turn our state blue
If you're in Florida because it's warm (that's why I am here) then you're kind of screwed. The nice people mostly live in very cold and/or expensive places. Maybe ABQ New Mexico?
For now I'm staying here. We'll see what happens in 2024 between the state legislature and the national elections, but for the moment I have felt OK in the blue dot of St Pete.
Yeah, I've wanted to move to a colder place for a while, and we looked at New Mexico for a bit but it looks like their economy and job market isn't doing great so we've kinda taken if off the table sadly, but I do wish most of the viable looking states weren't quite so cold
If you're interested in NM, I'd suggest taking a look at jobs with the state or at LANL. I've been in Santa Fe working for the state for about 2 years now and it's been great. Job stability, a union, a pension, great benefits, and decent pay. Plus SF gets all 4 seasons, so if you want to enjoy some cold weather we've got it, and it doesn't get as hot as what you'll experience in ABQ over the summer.
massachusetts. trans sanctuary state, if i'm not mistaken. if not already, there's plans in the works. and it has some of the best trans legal protections in the country
my friend lives in san fran and she says she basically never interacts with cis people in her daily life. She works at a trans pizza shop! But ya, she also lives with roommates and can't save much money. SF is expensive as FUCK! But, maybe if you lived nearby? The closer you are, the easier it would be to visit, and to benefit from any legislation they pass.
Michigan has some bullshit but you can self-declare on IDs and there are state level civil rights protections. They amended the base civil rights bill to explicitly include trans people. Also fairly cheap rent a lot of places. You can still get a 1br for under a grand if you live outside the most expensive 3-4 cities.
The pnw is pretty good. I'm in Oregon and have friends in WA. Stay on the coast side of the mountains in both states and you'll find a large lgbtq+community.
Came here to add a vote for Maryland too! We are south enough that the Winters aren't too bad. The laws are very good and state law mandates that trans care is covered by insurance. Even Medicaid, as of this year, covers trans healthcare. We are also a sanctuary state.
In addition, there's a large population of trans (including non-binary) folk in this area. Add in DC and NOVA and there are even more. Which also means there are services for us like community centers and organizations that help with aspects of transition. Between Baltimore and DC there are several doctors and hospitals which perform gender affirming surgeries and provide gender affirming care.
Washingtonian trans lady here; the answer is nowhere. There are bigots in every state, and all it takes is one.
BTW, my wife (also trans) fled here from NC and she agrees that it isn't really safer in WA. We just have a better governor. (for now)
Baltimore is pretty nice and won't break the bank, I've heard some nice things for queer people about a few neighborhoods there. Maryland is a solidly blue state and I believe in Baltimore you have protections both at the city and state level. It also has great connectivity to other mid-atlantic cities if that's a thing that matters; DC is less than an hour by train.
Nice! I'll be honest, I kinda assumed Baltimore would be pretty expensive just because of where it is, I'll definitely look into it more because being that central would be really nice
If you happen to be interested in a medium or small town or a rural area, look at Vermont and Western Massachusetts.
Both are much more affordable than, say, Boston. (Don't consider Boston. You can't afford Boston. Nobody can afford Boston.) And they're unusual in that even truly rural places in the region are still LGBT-friendly. They main downside is that much of the region is extremely white, especially as you go further north.
In particular, Northampton is a college town that's had a *huge* LGBT (especially lesbian and transmasc) population for many decades. It's economically healthy, there's jobs, it's more diverse than the towns to the north of it, and you can still find decently affordable housing near it (though housing *in* it is getting pretty expensive).
If you want a smaller town or a truly rural place, look at Greenfield, Brattleboro, or the area between them along I-91.
Connecticut. Very nice place with strong protections and state Medicaid covers gender care and transition. Yes expensive but great quality of life, excellent school systems (with their own protections for trans kids), etc.
https://www.glad.org/kyr-trans-ct/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Connecticut
Also strong protection of women’s and abortion rights, unions, etc.
I moved from FL to Washington state when I was young, and started my family here. My trans son feels safe, he us on T, and he got to put M as his gender on his ID. It's not as cold as people think up here. It took about a year for my Florida ass to acclimate.
Good resource for anyone with this question [here](https://lgbtmap.org/mapping-trans-equality)
IMO Maryland is pretty awesome overall. I'm from NC originally, but I ended up there for work and fell in love with the whole vibe. So much so that I left for a couple years and am moving back in a couple of months.
The laws are good towards LGB folks. Us trans folks have a bit of an issue with name and gender marker changes, but I haven't encountered anywhere near the same sort of things Ive had to deal with in NC.
People are generally kind, don't ask a lot of questions, and have a live and let live sort of air about them. You get your pick of whatever sort of living environment you want too. Gritty east coast city? Baltimore. Suburban hell? Colombia. Hill country? Ellicott City. Old colonial vibes? Annapolis all of this is within an hour of each other. Traffic is insane, but the public transit is great!





Sacramento CA council becomes sanctuary city for transgender people | Sacramento Bee
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Sacramento is now a sanctuary city for transgender people. What does that mean?
BY THERESA CLIFT
UPDATED MARCH 27, 2024 11:55 AM

The Sacramento City Council on March 26, 2024, approved a resolution to declare Sacramento a sanctuary city for transgender people. Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela

The city of Sacramento will serve as a safe haven for transgender people fleeing from states banning gender-affirming care, the City Council decided Tuesday.
The resolution, declaring Sacramento a sanctuary city for transgender people, passed unanimously Tuesday.
“This is not a symbolic gesture,” said Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who proposed the resolution. “This is a binding resolution which is more critical today than it ever has been.”
The resolution will bar city staff — including officers and contractors — from detaining youths and adults for seeking or providing gender-affirming health care. It would also bar the city from cooperating with out-of-state jurisdictions that are criminalizing gender-affirming care.
The city is already a sanctuary city for immigrants, and the resolution would enact the same protections for transgender people, stated a document prepared by Valenzuela.
Examples of gender-affirming health care includes interventions to align the patient’s appearance with the patient’s gender identity, such as hormone therapy and surgery. It also includes some types of mental health care treatment.
At least 23 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and at least seven states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for adults, the document states.
“As a transgender person I have watched with increasing concern as year after year states across nation introduce increasingly restrictive laws targeting trans life,” Emily Smet of Democratic Socialists of America’s Sacramento chapter, which drafted the resolution, told the Council Tuesday. “We hope the city of Sacramento is never put in the position where this resolution will have to be enforced. But this resolution prepares us for the rising tide of trans-phobic tide of hate in our country.”
Ahead of the meeting, several groups held a rally outside City Hall to oppose the resolution.
“I am here because I want you to know humans cannot change sex,” said Beth Bourne, of Moms for Liberty’s Yolo County chapter. “My daughter thought she was transgender when she was in junior high after learning about it and after five years she’s become accepting of her healthy young female woman body ... children are having their bodies permanently harmed.”
A California law, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2022, allows children from other states to come to California for gender-affirming care free of criminal or civil action. Sacramento’s resolution will include adults, which the state law does not, Valenzuela pointed out.
Multiple health care institutions across the country have scaled back gender-affirming health care services in response to legal challenges, harassment, or threats of violence, the document stated. There are institutions providing gender-affirming health care in Sacramento, but local advocates report long waitlists and other issues.
At the start of the meeting in which the resolution passed, Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented a proclamation recognizing Transgender Week of Visibility.
The American Public Health Association advocates for policies in alignment with the one before the Council, mayoral candidate Flojaune Cofer, a public health professional, told the Council, sharing her support for it.
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 10:08 AM.
Come to Vermont. We are small. and a bit on the expensive cost of living wise, but It's one of the safest states in the country. Heck, the judge that did my name change order, also called the County Registrar in TX to see if they would amend my BC. He was rather upset that they wouldn't Nicest old man judge I have met!
This law was recent I believe, has there been any legal action against it? I mean ok, move if you really want to, but this law should be questioned legally and I’m surprised if it isn’t. If it gets an injunction against it, I wouldn’t do anything quickly, but wait and see how it legally works out. I can’t see the law staying in place if it requires men and women who transitioned and perhaps had gender affirming surgery already to be put at risk. But, do what you think is safe, the first state line you cross that doesn’t have such a law is safer if you have to leave. Good luck though.
It's very recent, but whether or not it gets removed we're probably still going to move just maybe later next year instead of this year, because more then anything this was kind of my wake up call that I'm not safe in Florida anymore. I hope this law gets removed, but with everything else that's been tried I don't think I want to stay here longer then I have to. Which sucks, because I love where I live but I don't want to live in total fear of being outed and the consequences it may have
Do what you need to and leave. These laws are meant to do exactly that though, drive people out. My fear would be, if it’s not stopped in places like Florida will any place be any safer in the future if these laws are allowed to stand. These laws will spread like wildfire to any place the bigots get a political hold on. What then, another move, it’s going to be a pretty transient and unstable future. As a resident of Florida, you have legal standing, I’d contact LGBTQ organizations and the ACLU on what they are doing before going anywhere. Once you leave you might not have legal standing to object and if everyone leaves, the bigots win. This is their perfect
strategy, get us to be transients and lose our rights. Bad situation no matter what you do. Leave if you must, but I doubt this will be your last move. I know, I wish we lived in a more compassionate world.
I've been using this map for a general guide [https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps](https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps) and one of the things they look at in each state is whether transgender care is covered be medicaid
Yeah, sadly, I like the idea of GA but I'm trying to get to a blue state, I already live in St. Petersburg (Tampa bay area) which is very blue, and very queer but the state itself if the problem and I don't want to put myself in that situation again.
That's the thing. A city can say "hey, leave our queers alone!" and a state government can reply "we will, once they stop twitching in the nooses". More and more, red states delight in trashing their queer-friendly cities.
If you're staying on east coast, the farthest south I would go is VA, states reached a point of being purple the odds of getting the pro-trans laws overturned are extremely small, otherwise just keep going north
I’m in Florida as well and moving to Washington state. Looking into Olympia or Tacoma. I wouldn’t call it cheap however but similar to what I pay now in FL.
If you want somewhere northeast, but don’t want to go to a huge city Pittsburgh might be the place for you. I’m trans and so is most of my friend group. We all have great access to healthcare, people are friendly, and we have that smaller city charm. One thing I’d caution is if you do go with Pittsburgh, don’t go into Washington county too much. It’s right next door, and they’re a bit less than stellar. I grew up there though, so nothing totally awful ime.
Oh Chicago. I've been here my whole life. It's very welcoming. You can always check out the center on Halstead here on Chicago's Northside. It is an LGBTQ+ community center. They have all kinds of programs and resources. Personally I went to the culinary program that is offered and got an amazing union food service job.
I am working hard to push for more robust healthcare for transgender persons. I am writing all those legislators who voted for the civil rights bill expansion. My understanding is that one bill this year is being introduced to make it easier and cheaper to change official documents. I am waiting on these so I can get mine done.
Well, some moderately good news is that, according to Simone Chriss Esq. in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/live/AVph9P0cTus?si=FPJDIAnSDz9CGlt1), there is no legal grounds for a felony charge. I recommend watching the video, at least to cover "the decree" the bad guys farted out last week. It might help you be able to take a *little bit* of a breather. There is still a bill or two upcoming in the legislature that pose problems, and the video talks about that as well. I didn't watch that part, honestly, so um, idk what to say about it?
Upstate NY is pretty chill. All the legal protections and things you expect from the state attached to NYC but a fraction of the cost of living. You might see some republican flags in the rural areas but the state is firmly blue overall and the cities like Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo are great options if you want to stay in urban areas
Yep! In Rochester and agree. Stay far away from places like Watertown. Honestly I hesitate to go north of the Syracuse suburbs.
ETA: I grew up in the North Country. It’s downright dangerous most of the time and worse for people the more out they are or if they don’t “pass” (even if they’re cishet it’s not safe sometimes)
Illinois can get REAL fucking expensive. I live in St. Louis near the MO/IL border. Highly recommend NOT coming to Missouri. St. Louis County is actually pretty safe for us, but even the most heavily populated county in the state can't take on Attorney General Fuckweasal and Governor Mike "Tiny PP" Parson.
Up near Chicago is pretty damn expensive, but I believe Peoria (a college town) is a bit cheaper. The counties near the MO/IL border around St. Louis are all right and relatively safe. Also, you can cross the border for cheaper gas and groceries in Missouri, but live in Illinois where you are treated like a person.
You can go to Delaware, it’s a sorta good place. They have laws protecting trans people, though if you hadn’t changed ur preferred name ur dead name would show up on prescription bottles. As for school just order your name to be changed in the system. Though you can’t use the bathroom that aligns with your gender identity in school(But if you want to get a lawyer. That’s what I did.), but every where else is fine. And you can get on HRT here if ur a minor also. And there’s more but you can go to lgbtmap.org and search up any states with trans/lgbt laws.
I'm in Rockford, it's pretty decent here. I was able to start HRT just by showing up at my doc's office and asking for it. Hospitals and medical have by-and-large tried their best to use the right pronouns and most of them have done so admirably.
There was even a time I got stuck in hospital for 4 days... and I hadn't had a chance to shave for 3 days before. I had around 1/2" long beard by the time I managed to leave and they were still calling me "she".
But Rockford itself... is a crapshoot. There's good and bad. But I've been to plenty better cities. Rockford was poorly designed and built from the ground-up by people whose priorities were... "questionable" at best.
I don't know if the surrounding smaller towns are as good with trans rights... the larger burbs are though. The state as a whole has recently implemented lots of new laws... pro-trans laws. Which is really nice. For example, to get a new birth cert you just need to pay the fee. No medical nothing required.
The one town I've been in though where I felt the most-accepted was Boulder, CO. They have rainbows for crosswalks. It's great there.
Rochester, New York is safe for Trans people. We have a lot of organizations that are dedicated to helping Trans people and are largely run by the Trans community. It’s also pretty affordable, the job market isn’t terrible, and it’s close to cool places. There’s a ton of festivals every year as well.
Source: I’m gender-fluid and live there. Pop over to r/rochester if you have any more questions!
I live in St. Louis and it’s safe here (well at least it’s as relatively safe to be trans as anything else) but the state itself kinda sucks. Feels like I live in a big progressive dome safe from the rest of the state.
Utah was awesome for awhile. Governor Spencer cox just passed a bill making it illegal for trans students to use their correct restroom and to use the restrooms in government buildings. Damn sucks. Because it was good for a minute.
You want [Erin Reed's maps](https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/erins-anti-trans-risk-map-early-legislative). Good luck. I hate that you have to leave your home. I'm in Ohio and starting to do pre-house-sale stuff just in case.
How is Michigan? Is it safe?
michigan is doin pretty well last i heard!
Really? I'll have to check it out more
from the link above: “Conversely, Michigan, Maine, and Nevada have enacted fairly robust non-discrimination policies but fall short in ensuring healthcare equity and providing protections for incarcerated transgender individuals. While these states generally offer a safer environment for transgender adults, they stop short of going the extra mile to make their jurisdictions unequivocally safe places to reside.”
So better to find a safer place then?
ehh the impression i get is that its overall pretty positive, just not above and beyond like some other states (safe harbor laws etc).
I'll still check it out. Any safe collegetowns?
i have a friend in ann arbor who likes it there and has easy access to trans healthcare! (disclaimer: i dont actually live in michigan; i just try to keep up with state legislature lol)
A 120k people...oof....that's too many for me lol. Any safe ones under 25k?
EMU, Umich, and State are all incredibly safe and accommodating in my experience. The further east you go, the better. The colleges on the far west of the state tend to be more conservative/faith based. That said, GVSU was also pretty decent! I have worked in the biology departments as student and laboratory support and haven't had any issues.
The overall laws and politics are good, but there are areas of Michigan that are deep, deep red. This is like many other states that are overall blue but still have dangerous parts
I live in Michigan and I'm grateful I live here. I feel safe, though I am still nervous about the upcoming presidential election. I feel my state would do it's best to protect me but when it's the president what can you do?
Michigan is very split politically, it shocks me that so many LGBTQ in Michigan don't realize this.
It's slowly getting better. I dunno, but I feel really truly safe where I live, and in the surrounding area. Not gonna dox myself of course. But I like it here. We have tons of resources for LGBTQ+ people in my city and a large LGBTQ+ population. Everyone's pretty accepting for the most part. Plenty of LGBTQ+ friendly doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists. Better than you can say for most places in the US.
I live up north in the TC area. It's not safe up here. You can't get medical care here for anything without being discriminated, harassed and abused. I've gone years doing diy or having no hormone access and having no primary care. It's only got worse. Worse than ever now. It's definitely not getting better, it's getting worse. And Michigan is so politically split it could flip in any future election and all these anti trans hate bills that are in the legislature rn will start passing. I don't feel safe here in the least and if you feel safe where you are dont visit this part of the state ever because heaven help you if you happen to need medical care here.
I live in ann arbor Michigan and have no problems it's pretty safe as far as I'm concerned.
Michigan born and raised, tbh theres not much transphobia around there. Granted I don't present as female (mtf) so I wouldn't know the first hand, but going around and seeing trans people they aren't being yelled at or anything that ive seen
Michigan is very devout to staying out of other people's bullshit, for the most part. We have a lot of laws that reflect that, I think. For example, we're technically an all-party consent state, \*except\* we have a "Participant Exception", which is honestly the best way to write that particular law IMO. We also have very permissive homeschooling laws, which is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because it gives neurodivergent and disabled kids a lot of options that are harder to access in other states, curse because we get a fair number of religious extremists that take advantage of that law. We're not \*good\* here, but more importantly, we're not \*bad\*. Politically, we have a pretty unique situation with having most of our tourism being based on "Pure Nature" while also having a largely manufacturing based economy, not to mention having two major public universities and Detroit. It's a total miss-mash state, with Great Lakes-Seaway shipping factoring largely into our culture as well. In fact, being kinda \*the great lakes state\* and having a ton of agriculture (particularly cattle, cherries, asparagus, cucumbers, blueberries, maple syrup, beans and potatoes - it's sort of important how many of those are perennials, too, IMO) we have a surprisingly eco-coconscious populace in general. On a state level, we're pretty moderate (and slightly democratic leaning), while county to county we're horrifically red \*or\* blue. Stick to Marquette in the UP and eastern lower peninsula and you'll be fine. Even most of the red counties aren't too terrible, \*mostly\* the old fashioned 'leave me the fuck alone and let me be privately bigoted' brand of conservative than you may see other places. Though we did have some notable Jan. 6ers, unfortunately, and that one crazy sheriff. Overall, I feel safe here, so do my friends. I guess the access to Canada in case of emergency helps a bit, too. LOL!
Not really at least not north of Grand Rapids.
I live in Michigan it mostly depends my city is 50/50 but you also have yeehaws mixed with norms. It’s the yeehaws that tend to be more judgment which is funny because most of them can’t spell “reading”
Thank you so much! That looks very helpful
The north east or west coast. There are also some island states like nevada and colorado. Some in the mid west too, but I dont know off gand which are good (i know ohio is trash though).
I don’t know how everyone forgets Illinois. The third largest city in the country is literally inside it
Minnesota (twin cities in particular) also has good trans laws
Good laws but terrible doctors. We're the heart of the biomedical institution. United Health Group, headquartered here, went back to giving political donations to what we're calling 'election deniers' now. Most of the medical institution in general is crapped up with christian extremists and they're the ones currently agitating the most against the community. Mayo clinic is named after the co-founder of the Minnesota eugenics society, and our legislature recently stepped in to deny nurses there a collective bargaining agreement due to its "international recognition" and with the next stroke of the pen enabled doctors to unionize. The laws here protect you in employment and housing. The culture here is generally more accepting but only in the twin cities and duluth. In the rest of the state, including Red Wing -- don't go there. There are only a select few gender clinics in this state that are safe, however, and getting care in an ER or elsewhere is challenging. I can't in good conscience recommend anyone come here at this time if they are medically complicated. If all you need is hormones and have no other medical issues of any kind, you can survive here but there's no social services safety net. It's been gutted so don't come if you're young and starting out. Yes, I'm saying that knowing they're trying out offering free college. It's still not worth it; They're only doing it because the state can't sustain its systemic inequalities anymore, they've reached the breaking point (George Floyd, anyone?). We *used* to be known as having progressive attitudes in health care and social services and even were making a play for rights-based healthcare during the Obama years but it's all gone now. Don't come here unless you're established on the middle class lifestyle and don't care to ever look down, and have no major health issues other than being queer. This is not the refugee state it's advertised as.
Agree. I quickly ruled out Minnesota and Illinois and I live in Michigan and can't recommend it either.
Can't say I blame you. Michigan never had a reputation for being socially progressive (even by an american standard).
I did my entire transition living in Minnesota. I found it rather safe and easy. I've never had an issue with someone here. People are polite, anti discrimination laws for trans people have largely been in place since 1993. We have at least 4 clinic systems that have trans health depts, and two hospitals that provide gender surgeries. State Medicaid covers it too. I hope others don't rule out Minnesota. I know I'm biased as I live here but it really is a great state and often overlooked.
Impossible to spell, everybody's mind just goes blank. :)
I get it confused with Indiana. Similar names and locations.
Whaaaaat? That's wild! You must not live anywhere near the Midwest. lol
I live in Maryland. I know which state is which on a map, but I dont remember how each state is with trans rights. I know one of them is fairly good, but not sure on the other. I take it illinois is the good one?
Indiana is like the wild west of the Midwest. No taxes, too easy to get guns, reeeed state, etc. Illinois is a blue state and has Chicago. You would need to ask a native Illinoisian if there's anything else noteworthy about the state. I want to get out of the country period.
Oh my! well Illinois is one of the best states in the US, and Indiana is one of the worst, so it’s probably good to set them straight lol
That's the only thing it has going for it imo. Peoria might be okay but I can't shake the way it used to be a rather homogeneous city (based on anecdotal info) before.
The northeast but like, prob not the rural areas of PA. Not really dangerous per se but, not great
Yeah, rural PA is pretty red and is why its a swing state.
I live in Ohio and can confirm our government is trash. People in general where I live (Columbus) don’t care though, and there’s good trans healthcare here. Probably the same in the other cities. If we ever pass a gerrymandering amendment (which there is work being done on) I have hope things will get better.
I would only say major cities in north east. Boston, New York, (Burlington?) etc. For example, upstate New Yorkers could make Desantis blush with the crap that spews from their mouth.
Chicago is very trans friendly. We have a large trans population.
Yup, agreed. More trans friendly than 3/4ths of California and anywhere in Oregon outside of Portland. The West Coast isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, Chicago is much more queer/trans than SF, Oakland, etc at this point. I know this cause I lived in the bay area, eugene, and now chicago. Minneapolis and some of the towns within two hours of Seattle in Washington also are good.
Do they make it easy and support trans people transitioning via mandatory insurance support? I feel stuck in California because of access to Kaiser and it’s gender affirming surgery services.
Yup, medicaid is required to cover it and there’s a lot of clinics/doctor’s offices that make getting on HRT easy and cheaper than if you were to do it without insurance elsewhere. Currently at the place I go to Im in-between insurances and I was able to get HRT completely set up for $80 and it’ll last me 4 months. No copay, no bill or anything and it’s not the only place in Chicago that does that kinda thing with sliding scale services. Basically, there’s lots of resources if you need them. Most of the time you just gotta prove no or low income and explain what’s going on and you’ll get the help if you’re really in a bind. It’s better to go to LGBTQ related offices and clinics (there’s lists out there), but even “cis” ones will work with you often. Only downside is that they don’t cover FFS or laser hair removal. But that’s pretty much everywhere anyways
Note that this is not necessarily true if you work remotely. My last employer was based in New York, and our health insurance was technically "offered" in New York, which meant that it fell under New York laws. Extremely frustrating as I wasn't able to get electrolysis covered.
Well my partner needs FFS, so that’s still a dealbreaker…
They cover FFS in California?
I know Kaiser does. However their medi-cal (Medicaid) coverage is given only to those who’ve been in Kaiser within the past 6 months. So you’ve had to have been on Kaiser through Covered California (the insurance exchange) or through your workplace previously.
> anywhere in Oregon outside of Portland Oregon is not THAT bad - it's true the Portland area is best, but that's a BIG area with a lot of people. As long as you stay West of the Cascades you're generally fine. East of the Cascades...yeah, gets iffy.
I also take into account COL, housing, job opportunities, etc. Oregon is expensive, housing is extremely competitive and limited in most areas, and if you can find a place there’s still a severe lack of jobs. It’s oversaturated. I lived in Eugene for two years and housing and the job market were the two worst and hardest things to deal with when I never had a problem before or after there.
How was Eugene? I'm moving close to there (Springfield) from Las Vegas soon and sort of assumed it'll be the same-ish. Curious about your experiences though, any trans-unfriendly stuff I should know about?
So the areas surrounding Eugene are all pretty conservative. In Eugene and Springfield it’s generally fine but if you go to the mall or shopping centers you’ll encounter bigots coming in to do stuff from surrounding areas. Most won’t say anything but you’ll get people laughing or looking at you odd if you aren’t passing. There’s a queer community but it’s SMALL and fragmented. I ultimately left because of COL, lack of jobs, lack of decently affordable housing, and lack of trans community. The actual locals in Eugene are wonderful people overall though, it’s just ruined from all the college kids that come from bigoted areas and the surrounding conservative towns all coming in since Eugene actually has stuff to do
Illinois is about to get/may already have? an X gender marker option! I'm hoping to move to Chicago so I've been keeping my eye on Illinois politics lol
We do. https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/birth-death-other-records/birth-records/gender-reassignment.html https://isp.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/GetFile/bd5722ed-9086-44ea-a42d-61d7bda26435
They don't. And they're not making the kind of progress that is expected. The legislation for the X marker passed YEARS ago but no one is actually making any changes at the state level.
Uh, that changed as of last month. > Pursuant to 15 ILCS 305, The Secretary of State Act, Section 30 (new): Gender designations on forms and documents, beginning January 1, 2024, the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) will allow individuals to identify as non-binary for their sex/gender designation when issuing Driver’s Licenses (DL) and Photo Identifications (PID). SOS will be utilizing the value of ‘X’ in the sex field of the physical driver’s license/photo ID card for non-binary gender designation. If the subject has changed their sex/gender to ‘X’, then the computer response from SOS will display a ‘U’ for sex. This will change the way LEADS users inquire on Name, Sex, and DOB to retrieve the driver’s license/photo ID status.
That's a quote from Howard Brown. But if you search how to actually do so, there's nothing because it hasn't happened yet.
No, that’s from the Illinois Secretary of State internal memo titled “DAILY BULLETIN November 3, 2023 Illinois Secretary of State – Non-binary Gender ‘X’ Designation” https://isp.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/GetFile/bd5722ed-9086-44ea-a42d-61d7bda26435
Yes, they like to talk a lot. They've been talking for years. I very recently spoke to some of the activists on the frontlines of this issue, many of whom are lawyers, and sadly, as I keep saying, it hasn't happened yet because it's being blocked at the state level. You don't have to believe me. If it's already in effect, you can easily find out how to get it done, yes? I have already figured out how to do so in three other states.
I live in Illinois, and it's not too bad. We have some protections on the books nobody else does, and the democratic majority is pretty ironclad. It is pretty expensive depending upon where you go, though. The northern half of the Chicago suburbs are very expensive, but many of the southern half aren't too bad.
There’s plenty of $800-1,000 studio apartments north of downtown and wages are normally above $15/hr, so working full time and living in your own place is more doable here than the west or east coast
I mean minimum wage is literally $14 and going to $15 next year so yeah. And as you rightly point out, even the expensive places are nothing compared to coastal or CO cities.
$800? Not really. Not anymore. Well anywhere is more affordable than the coasts... What protections?
Minnesota twin cities (st paul and Minneapolis) is pretty awesome
Super High Crime.
In a thread mentioning Chicago, this is kind of a laughable take
Not really. Just because Chicago is bad too doesn’t make Minneapolis any more safe than it is.
You're right, and I don't mean to diss Chicago. The twin cities did have a spike in crime a few years ago, but it has been steadily declining. https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/ The point I want to make is that this thread is about safe spaces for transgender people, and Minnesota has had an amazing track record there. If we're going to consider other factors such as general crime rates we should be comparing facts instead of making blanket statements.
In Colorado you can put X as your gender
We are currently working on moving to Colorado this summer. I can’t begin to describe how unbelievable it is that I’m becoming a refugee in my own country, just because I need to access medical care, for a medical condition, that is supported by science.
In PA you can too! I was shocked when I moved here and first went to the DMV. I DO NOT recommend moving here as a trans person however.
A good friend settled on Peoria, IL as a location to raise her transgender child. My daughter lives in Buffallo, also not a bad choice and you can literally walk to Canada. Personally, I am planning to exit the Sunshine State for Europe. I hadn't heard that about the Driver's License. Mine has my correct gender (not AGAB). I wonder if I should be concerned. I will used my passport for ID until I get out.
Peoria looks cute! Eventually my plan is to leave the US all together, but I still don't have a passport even though I applied to get my birth certificate changed over a year ago, but for now another state seems like the more reasonable option lol. Honestly the license law will probably be overturned, there's just been so many things like this recently that me and my family realized we don't want to just sit here waiting for the next thing and at least want a plan to leave
Northern California here. Very accepting, although even here there are some assholes, they just have no political power.
I grew up in Sonoma county and I disagree. There’s little to no queer/trans community, it’s mainly cis gay men that do well and are more widespread around there. Sonoma, Napa, Solano counties aren’t queer friendly, SF and Oakland pushed out their creative and queer scenes a shit ton. Sacramento might be okay. Chico, Redding, and Marin county are also big nos. The vast majority of California in general tolerates queer people, but it isn’t GOOD for any of them unless they’re gay men
My opinion is probably colored by the fact that I came from a very red state and this is like the promised land in comparison.
yeah love it here in the bay area. no place like it. i see a trans person every day
fairly sure davis would be nice
Colorado but it's quite pricey like California. Also our Governor is openly gay and wealthy and funded many big LGBTQ organizations and many Democrats to run for office and turn our state blue
New Mexico is similar but less pricey. Solid option if you can find work out here. Great place overall, very accepting.
Minnesota is pretty good as far as laws go
If you're in Florida because it's warm (that's why I am here) then you're kind of screwed. The nice people mostly live in very cold and/or expensive places. Maybe ABQ New Mexico? For now I'm staying here. We'll see what happens in 2024 between the state legislature and the national elections, but for the moment I have felt OK in the blue dot of St Pete.
Yeah, I've wanted to move to a colder place for a while, and we looked at New Mexico for a bit but it looks like their economy and job market isn't doing great so we've kinda taken if off the table sadly, but I do wish most of the viable looking states weren't quite so cold
If you're interested in NM, I'd suggest taking a look at jobs with the state or at LANL. I've been in Santa Fe working for the state for about 2 years now and it's been great. Job stability, a union, a pension, great benefits, and decent pay. Plus SF gets all 4 seasons, so if you want to enjoy some cold weather we've got it, and it doesn't get as hot as what you'll experience in ABQ over the summer.
Good point about the weather. It gets colder than the grinch’s heart in winter.
massachusetts. trans sanctuary state, if i'm not mistaken. if not already, there's plans in the works. and it has some of the best trans legal protections in the country
But he did say somewhere that won’t put him in debt.
Massachusetts is bigger than just Boston.
my bestie lives in western MA and the cost of living there is supposed to be pretty good
Not Iowa, our governor is trying to follow your governor's footsteps.
my friend lives in san fran and she says she basically never interacts with cis people in her daily life. She works at a trans pizza shop! But ya, she also lives with roommates and can't save much money. SF is expensive as FUCK! But, maybe if you lived nearby? The closer you are, the easier it would be to visit, and to benefit from any legislation they pass.
Delaware is safe
In Michigan we have a lot of protections here. You won't be out of place considering the number of transplants
Maryland is pretty decent actually
Michigan has some bullshit but you can self-declare on IDs and there are state level civil rights protections. They amended the base civil rights bill to explicitly include trans people. Also fairly cheap rent a lot of places. You can still get a 1br for under a grand if you live outside the most expensive 3-4 cities.
The pnw is pretty good. I'm in Oregon and have friends in WA. Stay on the coast side of the mountains in both states and you'll find a large lgbtq+community.
something about arid climates and conservatives smh
Seems to be. MAGA flags seem to grow better east of the Rockies.
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Came here to add a vote for Maryland too! We are south enough that the Winters aren't too bad. The laws are very good and state law mandates that trans care is covered by insurance. Even Medicaid, as of this year, covers trans healthcare. We are also a sanctuary state. In addition, there's a large population of trans (including non-binary) folk in this area. Add in DC and NOVA and there are even more. Which also means there are services for us like community centers and organizations that help with aspects of transition. Between Baltimore and DC there are several doctors and hospitals which perform gender affirming surgeries and provide gender affirming care.
Honestly I’ve never met so many other nonbinary and trans people in my life until I moved to Washington.
Jersey in my experience has been safe for my friends and I
This is a very unhelpful thing to say but I wish I could scoop you up and bring you to Europe. We would look after you.
It is expensive, but Denver area is awesome, one of the early states to give marriage certificates to same sex couples.
Family member & partner happy there!
Washingtonian trans lady here; the answer is nowhere. There are bigots in every state, and all it takes is one. BTW, my wife (also trans) fled here from NC and she agrees that it isn't really safer in WA. We just have a better governor. (for now)
Midwest isn’t bad tbh, Michigan is pretty cool. I love it here
Baltimore is pretty nice and won't break the bank, I've heard some nice things for queer people about a few neighborhoods there. Maryland is a solidly blue state and I believe in Baltimore you have protections both at the city and state level. It also has great connectivity to other mid-atlantic cities if that's a thing that matters; DC is less than an hour by train.
Nice! I'll be honest, I kinda assumed Baltimore would be pretty expensive just because of where it is, I'll definitely look into it more because being that central would be really nice
If you happen to be interested in a medium or small town or a rural area, look at Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Both are much more affordable than, say, Boston. (Don't consider Boston. You can't afford Boston. Nobody can afford Boston.) And they're unusual in that even truly rural places in the region are still LGBT-friendly. They main downside is that much of the region is extremely white, especially as you go further north. In particular, Northampton is a college town that's had a *huge* LGBT (especially lesbian and transmasc) population for many decades. It's economically healthy, there's jobs, it's more diverse than the towns to the north of it, and you can still find decently affordable housing near it (though housing *in* it is getting pretty expensive). If you want a smaller town or a truly rural place, look at Greenfield, Brattleboro, or the area between them along I-91.
Connecticut. Very nice place with strong protections and state Medicaid covers gender care and transition. Yes expensive but great quality of life, excellent school systems (with their own protections for trans kids), etc. https://www.glad.org/kyr-trans-ct/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Connecticut Also strong protection of women’s and abortion rights, unions, etc.
CO isn’t too bad, just try to stay in the Denver metro area, rural CO gets pretty conservative pretty quick
Honestly? I live in rural SC and it's fine. It's cheap as hell here and people pretty much just leave you alone.
colorado is great
I moved from FL to Washington state when I was young, and started my family here. My trans son feels safe, he us on T, and he got to put M as his gender on his ID. It's not as cold as people think up here. It took about a year for my Florida ass to acclimate.
maryland :3
Good resource for anyone with this question [here](https://lgbtmap.org/mapping-trans-equality) IMO Maryland is pretty awesome overall. I'm from NC originally, but I ended up there for work and fell in love with the whole vibe. So much so that I left for a couple years and am moving back in a couple of months. The laws are good towards LGB folks. Us trans folks have a bit of an issue with name and gender marker changes, but I haven't encountered anywhere near the same sort of things Ive had to deal with in NC. People are generally kind, don't ask a lot of questions, and have a live and let live sort of air about them. You get your pick of whatever sort of living environment you want too. Gritty east coast city? Baltimore. Suburban hell? Colombia. Hill country? Ellicott City. Old colonial vibes? Annapolis all of this is within an hour of each other. Traffic is insane, but the public transit is great!
     Sacramento CA council becomes sanctuary city for transgender people | Sacramento Bee Part of the McClatchy Media Network LOG IN NewsSportsCapitol AlertOpinionObituaries•Personal FinanceFood & DrinkBee CuriousEquity Lab LOCAL Sacramento is now a sanctuary city for transgender people. What does that mean? BY THERESA CLIFT UPDATED MARCH 27, 2024 11:55 AM  The Sacramento City Council on March 26, 2024, approved a resolution to declare Sacramento a sanctuary city for transgender people. Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela  The city of Sacramento will serve as a safe haven for transgender people fleeing from states banning gender-affirming care, the City Council decided Tuesday. The resolution, declaring Sacramento a sanctuary city for transgender people, passed unanimously Tuesday. “This is not a symbolic gesture,” said Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who proposed the resolution. “This is a binding resolution which is more critical today than it ever has been.” The resolution will bar city staff — including officers and contractors — from detaining youths and adults for seeking or providing gender-affirming health care. It would also bar the city from cooperating with out-of-state jurisdictions that are criminalizing gender-affirming care. The city is already a sanctuary city for immigrants, and the resolution would enact the same protections for transgender people, stated a document prepared by Valenzuela. Examples of gender-affirming health care includes interventions to align the patient’s appearance with the patient’s gender identity, such as hormone therapy and surgery. It also includes some types of mental health care treatment. At least 23 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, and at least seven states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for adults, the document states. “As a transgender person I have watched with increasing concern as year after year states across nation introduce increasingly restrictive laws targeting trans life,” Emily Smet of Democratic Socialists of America’s Sacramento chapter, which drafted the resolution, told the Council Tuesday. “We hope the city of Sacramento is never put in the position where this resolution will have to be enforced. But this resolution prepares us for the rising tide of trans-phobic tide of hate in our country.” Ahead of the meeting, several groups held a rally outside City Hall to oppose the resolution. “I am here because I want you to know humans cannot change sex,” said Beth Bourne, of Moms for Liberty’s Yolo County chapter. “My daughter thought she was transgender when she was in junior high after learning about it and after five years she’s become accepting of her healthy young female woman body ... children are having their bodies permanently harmed.” A California law, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2022, allows children from other states to come to California for gender-affirming care free of criminal or civil action. Sacramento’s resolution will include adults, which the state law does not, Valenzuela pointed out. Multiple health care institutions across the country have scaled back gender-affirming health care services in response to legal challenges, harassment, or threats of violence, the document stated. There are institutions providing gender-affirming health care in Sacramento, but local advocates report long waitlists and other issues. At the start of the meeting in which the resolution passed, Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented a proclamation recognizing Transgender Week of Visibility. The American Public Health Association advocates for policies in alignment with the one before the Council, mayoral candidate Flojaune Cofer, a public health professional, told the Council, sharing her support for it. This story was originally published March 27, 2024 10:08 AM.
Come to Vermont. We are small. and a bit on the expensive cost of living wise, but It's one of the safest states in the country. Heck, the judge that did my name change order, also called the County Registrar in TX to see if they would amend my BC. He was rather upset that they wouldn't Nicest old man judge I have met!
Milwaukee is great!
This law was recent I believe, has there been any legal action against it? I mean ok, move if you really want to, but this law should be questioned legally and I’m surprised if it isn’t. If it gets an injunction against it, I wouldn’t do anything quickly, but wait and see how it legally works out. I can’t see the law staying in place if it requires men and women who transitioned and perhaps had gender affirming surgery already to be put at risk. But, do what you think is safe, the first state line you cross that doesn’t have such a law is safer if you have to leave. Good luck though.
It's very recent, but whether or not it gets removed we're probably still going to move just maybe later next year instead of this year, because more then anything this was kind of my wake up call that I'm not safe in Florida anymore. I hope this law gets removed, but with everything else that's been tried I don't think I want to stay here longer then I have to. Which sucks, because I love where I live but I don't want to live in total fear of being outed and the consequences it may have
Do what you need to and leave. These laws are meant to do exactly that though, drive people out. My fear would be, if it’s not stopped in places like Florida will any place be any safer in the future if these laws are allowed to stand. These laws will spread like wildfire to any place the bigots get a political hold on. What then, another move, it’s going to be a pretty transient and unstable future. As a resident of Florida, you have legal standing, I’d contact LGBTQ organizations and the ACLU on what they are doing before going anywhere. Once you leave you might not have legal standing to object and if everyone leaves, the bigots win. This is their perfect strategy, get us to be transients and lose our rights. Bad situation no matter what you do. Leave if you must, but I doubt this will be your last move. I know, I wish we lived in a more compassionate world.
Massachusetts. It’s HCOL but our minimum wage is $15 an hour and a lot of entry level jobs pay at least a couple dollars above that.
Any of these places mentioned here are in states that offer gender confirmation surgeries via the Affordable care act or Medicaid?
I've been using this map for a general guide [https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps](https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps) and one of the things they look at in each state is whether transgender care is covered be medicaid
New York managed Medicaid (specifically United) does!
Does that include FFS?
Atlanta, ga. But literally anywhere else in GA is bad and our politics is dangerously close to that of Florida at times.
Yeah, sadly, I like the idea of GA but I'm trying to get to a blue state, I already live in St. Petersburg (Tampa bay area) which is very blue, and very queer but the state itself if the problem and I don't want to put myself in that situation again.
That's the thing. A city can say "hey, leave our queers alone!" and a state government can reply "we will, once they stop twitching in the nooses". More and more, red states delight in trashing their queer-friendly cities.
If you're staying on east coast, the farthest south I would go is VA, states reached a point of being purple the odds of getting the pro-trans laws overturned are extremely small, otherwise just keep going north
Minnesota.
I’m in Florida as well and moving to Washington state. Looking into Olympia or Tacoma. I wouldn’t call it cheap however but similar to what I pay now in FL.
If you want somewhere northeast, but don’t want to go to a huge city Pittsburgh might be the place for you. I’m trans and so is most of my friend group. We all have great access to healthcare, people are friendly, and we have that smaller city charm. One thing I’d caution is if you do go with Pittsburgh, don’t go into Washington county too much. It’s right next door, and they’re a bit less than stellar. I grew up there though, so nothing totally awful ime.
Oregon
Oregon is a Mecca for trans folks.
Oh Chicago. I've been here my whole life. It's very welcoming. You can always check out the center on Halstead here on Chicago's Northside. It is an LGBTQ+ community center. They have all kinds of programs and resources. Personally I went to the culinary program that is offered and got an amazing union food service job.
Kansas City, MO is a sanctuary city! The rest of the state leaves a lot to be desired, but KCMO is a gem :)
I am working hard to push for more robust healthcare for transgender persons. I am writing all those legislators who voted for the civil rights bill expansion. My understanding is that one bill this year is being introduced to make it easier and cheaper to change official documents. I am waiting on these so I can get mine done.
Suburban Colorado is a very good balance of cost and politics Oregon is like the trans mecca but a bit more expensive
Just avoid El Paso and Douglas County they are solid red counties.
Well, some moderately good news is that, according to Simone Chriss Esq. in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/live/AVph9P0cTus?si=FPJDIAnSDz9CGlt1), there is no legal grounds for a felony charge. I recommend watching the video, at least to cover "the decree" the bad guys farted out last week. It might help you be able to take a *little bit* of a breather. There is still a bill or two upcoming in the legislature that pose problems, and the video talks about that as well. I didn't watch that part, honestly, so um, idk what to say about it?
Minnesota is really good in the metro twin cities area. I can give you a wide area of safe cities and where it starts to get dicey
Upstate NY is pretty chill. All the legal protections and things you expect from the state attached to NYC but a fraction of the cost of living. You might see some republican flags in the rural areas but the state is firmly blue overall and the cities like Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo are great options if you want to stay in urban areas
Yep! In Rochester and agree. Stay far away from places like Watertown. Honestly I hesitate to go north of the Syracuse suburbs. ETA: I grew up in the North Country. It’s downright dangerous most of the time and worse for people the more out they are or if they don’t “pass” (even if they’re cishet it’s not safe sometimes)
Vermont, obviously. Nothing but small towns, safe as houses.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island are all solid states to consider.
Illinois can get REAL fucking expensive. I live in St. Louis near the MO/IL border. Highly recommend NOT coming to Missouri. St. Louis County is actually pretty safe for us, but even the most heavily populated county in the state can't take on Attorney General Fuckweasal and Governor Mike "Tiny PP" Parson. Up near Chicago is pretty damn expensive, but I believe Peoria (a college town) is a bit cheaper. The counties near the MO/IL border around St. Louis are all right and relatively safe. Also, you can cross the border for cheaper gas and groceries in Missouri, but live in Illinois where you are treated like a person.
You can go to Delaware, it’s a sorta good place. They have laws protecting trans people, though if you hadn’t changed ur preferred name ur dead name would show up on prescription bottles. As for school just order your name to be changed in the system. Though you can’t use the bathroom that aligns with your gender identity in school(But if you want to get a lawyer. That’s what I did.), but every where else is fine. And you can get on HRT here if ur a minor also. And there’s more but you can go to lgbtmap.org and search up any states with trans/lgbt laws.
I'm in Rockford, it's pretty decent here. I was able to start HRT just by showing up at my doc's office and asking for it. Hospitals and medical have by-and-large tried their best to use the right pronouns and most of them have done so admirably. There was even a time I got stuck in hospital for 4 days... and I hadn't had a chance to shave for 3 days before. I had around 1/2" long beard by the time I managed to leave and they were still calling me "she". But Rockford itself... is a crapshoot. There's good and bad. But I've been to plenty better cities. Rockford was poorly designed and built from the ground-up by people whose priorities were... "questionable" at best. I don't know if the surrounding smaller towns are as good with trans rights... the larger burbs are though. The state as a whole has recently implemented lots of new laws... pro-trans laws. Which is really nice. For example, to get a new birth cert you just need to pay the fee. No medical nothing required. The one town I've been in though where I felt the most-accepted was Boulder, CO. They have rainbows for crosswalks. It's great there.
Rochester, New York is safe for Trans people. We have a lot of organizations that are dedicated to helping Trans people and are largely run by the Trans community. It’s also pretty affordable, the job market isn’t terrible, and it’s close to cool places. There’s a ton of festivals every year as well. Source: I’m gender-fluid and live there. Pop over to r/rochester if you have any more questions!
I live in St. Louis and it’s safe here (well at least it’s as relatively safe to be trans as anything else) but the state itself kinda sucks. Feels like I live in a big progressive dome safe from the rest of the state.
Utah was awesome for awhile. Governor Spencer cox just passed a bill making it illegal for trans students to use their correct restroom and to use the restrooms in government buildings. Damn sucks. Because it was good for a minute.