Help Trans People in Red States

A map of US states, showing which states are the most risky for trans people (marked with different shades of red) and which states are comparatively safer (marked with different shades of blue). Florida is the darkest red- "Do Not Travel."

The map shown above comes from this post: May Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map, by Erin Reed. It is scary right now how many states are passing laws to ban very basic, bare-minimum things that trans people need- banning any sort of gender-affirming care for children, not letting people go to the bathroom that doesn't match their assigned gender at birth, etc.

It's like, suddenly conservatives have picked trans people as the group they are going to hate and spread nasty dehumanizing lies about. NOT COOL. What are we doing about this?

To address the "what are we doing about this" question, I've rounded up a few links for organizations that work to help trans people. You can donate to these, or click around on their websites to find other ways to get involved.

1. Central Florida Emergency Trans Care Fund 

This fund helps trans people who live in Florida access medical care out-of-state. (See this article about it: Central Florida fund will help transgender people pay to get gender affirming care out of state)

2. If you go to GoFundMe and search "transgender," a bunch of the top results are about helping trans people escape from Florida. I don't really know if it's a good idea to just give money to random people on GoFundMe, because there's no way to confirm they are actually real; also, people who can present themselves in a way that fits society's idea of a "real victim" will end up getting more money... but anyway, a lot of trans people in red states who truly do need to get out and truly do need financial help are making pages on GoFundMe. It's kind of horrifying just how many of those pages there are.

Ideally we could give money to a trusted organization that can evaluate who is truly in need- if you have any links for that, please share in the comments.

And, I know helping people move out of red states won't solve this problem. It's NOT OKAY that some states are becoming dangerous environments for trans people. We can't just act like it IS okay as long as all the trans people move to different states. No, it's not okay. Because people shouldn't need to uproot their whole lives and move, just to have basic human rights and access to health care. People don't just have money laying around to spend on moving expenses. And trans people will continue to be born in those states. What happens to the trans children whose parents don't support them?

Right now, there is an immediate need to donate money to help trans people move to different states. That is a worthwhile thing to donate to, right now. But that can't be the whole thing. We also have to fight to change the laws in those red states, so trans people don't need to move.

3. Transgender Law Center 

"Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation."

Also, on Fridays the Transgender Law Center has been posting Twitter threads of individual trans people who need financial support. Here's the thread from June 2:

It’s #FundMeFriday! We’re continuing our weekly initiative to uplift/encourage our followers to donate to trans peoples’ fundraisers. Below are campaigns you may consider donating to or amplifying. pic.twitter.com/1t9dBAja9j

— TransgenderLawCenter (@TransLawCenter) June 2, 2023

4. ACLU

"The ACLU champions transgender people’s right to be themselves. We’re fighting discrimination in employment, housing, and public places, including restrooms. We’re working to make sure trans people get the health care they need and we're challenging obstacles to changing the gender marker on identification documents and obtaining legal name changes. We’re fighting to protect the rights and safety of transgender people in prison, jail, and detention facilities as well as the right of trans and gender nonconforming students to be treated with respect at school. Finally, we’re working to secure the rights of transgender parents."

5. The Jim Collins Foundation

"The mission of the Jim Collins Foundation is to provide financial assistance to transgender people for gender-affirming surgeries."

This one is not specifically related to the problem of new anti-trans laws being passed in red states, but still a good thing to donate to.

Okay, those are the links I have. Readers: If you have more links for ways to support trans people, you can share them in the comments. Trans rights are human rights.