As growing hostility and anti-transgender legislation sweep across the United States, many trans people are seeking to relocate to other states and cities, or abroad.
In areas that may see an influx of trans refugees, communities are doing their part to make newcomers feel safe and welcome.
In North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa, the Transcend Fund helps cover transportation costs for LGBTQ+ youth to receive out-of-state healthcare or tuition.
The North Texas Transportation Network offers emergency relocation grants to families with trans kids.
Project Open Arms operates in the Pacific Northwest as a growing directory of vetted resources of gender-affirming care, affordable housing, job opportunities, and peer support for trans refugees.
And in Colorado, the mutual aid nonprofit Trans Continental Pipeline offers social support in decision-making, moving, employment, and community building to trans people eager to relocate to the state, which has a reputation for being a “sanctuary state” for trans people.
The organization is in its infancy but is already building a temporary housing program that gives newcomers a month to find work and get on their feet, as well as a “welcome wagon” of volunteers who can connect people to their respective social spheres.
“We had one particularly heartwarming case where somebody from Oklahoma came out with their mom and just hung out with us for a bit,” TCP’s executive director, Keira Richards, told Colorado Public Media in November 2024.
“We met up with them through our peer network and went to a concert and just tried to show them around Denver and answer all their questions.”
But the cases — which Richards said range from 11-year-old youth to 70-year-old elders — aren’t always so simple.
“I'd say the particularly heart-wrenching cases are when we get in contact with the parents. I have lost count of the voicemails I've gotten from parents in Texas, Florida, Alabama saying, “I am terrified for my child,” Richards said.
By giving individuals and families the information they need to relocate and build a supportive community, TCP hopes to set them up for success — even if the circumstances around their move are less than ideal.
“I wish … that this wasn’t life or death, but for a lot of people, it is,” Richards added in an interview with 9News Denver. “So, yes, I really and truly hope that this is going to save lives.”
Even with these efforts, there are still countless challenges associated with relocation.
For people seeking help in either their new residence or a place where they cannot leave, there is InReach, a trans-led tech nonprofit building the world’s first open-source, verified LGBTQ+ resource platform.
With a simple zip code, the platform helps people find trusted care, mutual aid funds, name-change support, legal resources, and more — no matter where they live.
It markets the services that overwhelmed nonprofits can’t, gives people in crisis resources that are harder to find, and reduces at least one barrier to a full, safe life.
“Imagine a world where every trans and queer person has instant, unrestricted access to the affirming resources they need to thrive,” InReach shares on its website. “That’s the world we’re building, one step at a time.”
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A version of this article was originally published in The 2025 Pride Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
