Should trans people leave the us

“I can’t get my gender marker changed to reflect my true self,” she says, referring to the State Department’s refusal to issue new US passports with “X” gender markers and the ongoing suspension of processing all applications from citizens seeking to update their passport’s gender marker. Debi Jackson’s child Avery, who uses they/them pronouns and is about to turn 18, became a prominent face in trans advocacy after they were featured on the cover of National Geographic in January 2017, when they were 9 years old.

The red waves sweeping north as well and it’s not even realistically possible for most people to just move to Canada or Mexico (easier) or wherever.”

But even in “blue” states like California, transgender people are getting worried. Rainbow Railroad also continues to speak out against the deeply harmful policies impacting LGBTQI+ individuals, refugees and migrants in the US,” Chan said.

This has left some trans people feeling trapped in a country where persecution against them is on the rise.

The Colorado-based personal trainer says he felt “shocked and terrified” when he saw the election result back in November. The money will go toward the expenses they’ve paid with their savings so far and to whatever they need when they arrive with only their clothing, sentimental items and ski gear. “Having already gone through the process of relocation, there are so many questions that can at first seem overwhelming: ‘Will I be able to get my HRT (hormone replacement therapy)?

“Likewise, I have a medical life-saving implant which will eventually need replacing, and I am unsure of whether I would be able to get a replacement easily outside the country. Up until that point, we had received 700 RFH from the USA in the entire year,” Swathi Sekhar, the director of protection initiatives at Rainbow Railroad, a nonprofit that helps relocate LGBTQ+ refugees, told Dazed in February.

Well, according to one Redditor, Canada might be our best bet—with caveats.

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Canada: Civil society organizations are urging the government to immediately pause the Safe Thirrd CountrAgreement.

When people are denied asylum by one of the more than two dozen member countries in the European Union, they are also banned from re-entering all other countries in the E.U. except Ireland and Switzerland for two years if they are from what are considered “safe countries.” 

“I spend a lot of time researching and replying to people,” Jackson said.

States that haven’t complied with his anti-trans executive orders, such as Maine and Colorado, have become targets of his administration.

Federal agencies have also been instructed to roll back protections for trans people, with the Department of Homeland Security removing prohibitions against discriminatory surveillance based on sexual orientation or gender identity; the Department of Housing and Urban Development repealing anti-discrimination protections; multiple agencies eliminating nonbinary gender designations on student aid applications and intakes for filing discrimination charges; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dropping at least six anti-discrimination cases for transgender workers alleging gender identity discrimination.

Despite many anti-trans policies being blocked by courts, Trump’s administration has retaliated with executive orders suspending attorneys’ security clearances and jump-starting investigations into law firms.

The family lived in Kansas City for 15 years and often traveled to the State Capitol to testify against legislation targeting trans people. A Data for Progress survey taken in June 2023 discovered that 8 percent of transgender adults in the United States have relocated due to discriminatory legislation, and another 43 percent are considering doing so.

With few options nationally, this has pushed people to look abroad.

“Within the first 24 hours of Trump’s reelection, we received 1,177 requests for help (RFH) from the United States. asianpacificpost.com… #transgender #lgbtq

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— Transgender World (@transworld.bsky.social) February 27, 2025 at 8:13 AM

Obviously it’s not a clear path to safety and will still require a lot of work, but it’s worth looking into.

What if I don’t meet the requirements?’ And so on.”

The guide highlights that while American media often portrays Mexico as dangerous, Mérida, Yucatán, was actually ranked the second-safest city in North America, and Puerto Vallarta has lower crime rates than Seattle.

At the same time, the group stresses that there is growing resistance in Mexico to gentrification and an increasing frustration with foreigners who impose Americanized norms or disregard local culture.

While many trans people are preparing to flee the country, if—and when—it becomes necessary, not everyone has the ability to do so.

“Trans USians who consider moving to another country should be aware of their privilege.

On the r/trans Reddit thread, one user wrote: “Go to deep blue states ideally, if you haven’t already. “I still think this country is mostly safe for us, but intensifying rhetoric has many of us thinking about how we could escape if needed.”

Over the past few years, states have passed bans on gender-affirming care, anti-trans sports bans, outing policies, inaccurate definitions of sex used to marginalize trans people, and “Don’t Say Gay” censorship bills.

“I knew that myself and trans youth would be targeted through legislation banning our access to care,” he says.

Like Hazel, he is looking into moving across the Atlantic, and is currently considering relocating to Spain.

It also feels like a question of timing—we’ve already seen restrictions on our ability to get passports, and on visas for trans people abroad.”

A recent executive order targeting transgender people’s documentation has led to passport denials, raising concerns among trans people about increased scrutiny, discrimination, or even being turned away at border crossings.

Those with fewer financial resources are looking into humanitarian visas or LGBTQ-specific asylum programs in Argentina, France, and the Netherlands, though these processes are bureaucratically challenging and difficult to access.

“For any US citizen trying to seek asylum abroad, it is important to note that the international legal framework for refugee protection (grounded in the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees) is inherently restrictive and applies a high legal burden on someone seeking asylum in another country,” Timothy Chan, director of communications at Rainbow Railroad, told NPQ. “As such, US citizens usually do not meet the international legal definition of a refugee.

While some are preparing escape plans and exploring international relocation options, others face significant barriers—financial, legal, and logistical—that make leaving nearly impossible.

“We’re in the middle of a huge reactionary shift. Roughly 1.6 million Americans are transgender, meaning between 130,000 and 260,000 have already relocated, and approximately 688,000 are contemplating it.

Concerns about safety and the need to relocate are prevalent in online discussions among transgender people.

“That’s really the way that I deal with stress and trauma, is by trying to actually be proactive rather than reactive.”