Hi all! I've been doing a lot research on topics like Transgender Laws and where it's safe to move because for those who don't know I am a transgender teen, I recently turned 18 and my family also recently moved from what's considered one of the safest LGBTQ+ states to what is considered one of the worst states for LGBTQ+

- I am by no means an expert on this topic, I have done personal research and wanted to share my findings as well as my feelings and thoughts on it.

I will be starting out with talking more about my personal experiences and issues before going into more general issues.

Since I am 18, I can legally move out and move away from the unsafe state however because of how expensive the "safe" states are, I need to save money up for quite sometime before I am actually able to. This is the reality for a lot of people, not just those apart of the LGBTQ because let's be honest LIFE is expensive.
More personally, it will be incredibly difficult for me to get and maintain a job because I have such severe anxiety, something I'm working on, but I also do not and can not have a job because I don't have a car, another thing I'm working on. Honestly, I expect a great decrease in my mental health after getting a job however I know it's something I have to do in order to survive and be able to move someplace safer.

Moving on, more recently, I've been looking into which states to move to that would be considered safe for Transgender people and others, and what I've found is honestly discouraging but is the harsh reality because even safe states have their issues. LGBTQ+ people are constantly being threatened, harassed, and attacked no matter the state they live in, whether it's an unsafe state or what is supposed to be a refuge for LGBTQ.

Probably the safest/most accepting states, such as California, New York, etc. are also extremely expensive and not a realistic choice for many. I myself love California and was raised there but will most likely never be able to move back because of the price of living.
Meanwhile, in unsafe states there are bills/laws being passed to not allow Transgender men, women and others to start or continue to take gender affirming medication.

There were 500+ anti trans bills that were considered in 2023 alone, 85 of them were passed.

One of these bills includes the forced outing, and misgendering of students. Meaning if a student came forward to a teacher and told them about any discomfort or confusion with their biological sex, the school officials HAVE to inform their parents within 48 hours. They could also not call a student by another name that is not on their birth certificate or use a different pronoun. On top of this, no school can require a school official to use a pronoun that doesn't match biological sex if doing so would be contrary to the school's religious or moral conviction.

I have witnessed (online) teachers losing their jobs for being part of the LGBTQ+ and not hiding it, such as talking about their partner when asked, or teaching anything related to LGBTQ.

I guarantee if you look into anti trans bills, you will find many more than just the one mentioned as there has been a large surge in anti trans bills. The reality is, I had only heard of two before looking into it further. I had no idea how many were passed, and I would have never known how drastically these have increased. In 2022, there were 33 bills targeting gender affirming care. In 2023, that number surged to 179.

Already in 2024, there are 300 bills being considered. Only one of them has failed so far.

Every day people that are apart of the LGBTQ+ get attacked and murdered because of how they identity, no matter where we live we will never be completely safe, because there will always be someone around the corner who hates us for who we are.

I live in a safe and accepting home and I am terrified to come out because I will then have to explain to my mom that I'm not safe where we live because of who I am, that despite how much I love her I will have to move hundreds of miles away in order to be somewhat safe and have the ability to get life saving, gender affirming treatment.

This is the reality of being trans in the U.S.

Now, this doesn't mean you can't be openly LGBTQ+ and be in a happy and safe environment but the real truth is, it's luck when you wind up in one.