Looking for ideas of where to move next. Places in the US that are lgbt friendly, and preferably have good trans healthcare. I’ll probably never be able to move to any of them, but it would be nice to pretend for a little while.

  • ellypony@lemmy.world
    10·
    2 months ago

    You should come to Kalamazoo! We’ve got a really great free college tuition program (although that might not really help very much if you haven’t gone to public school here) with A really beautiful and vibrant downtown.

    I major in visual arts, and the campus is integrated directly into the city. it’s actually in the middle of the first pedestrian mall in the country. It looks absolutely beautiful in the winter.

    Western Michigan University and KVCC bring in an absolutely massive population of neurodivergence, forgein exchanges, and a wonderfully healthy queer community.

    We’re a small enough city so that it’s not overwhelming, and large enough to avoid being a Karen infested sun-down town.

    (Plus, you get to live in a city with a funny name)

    • dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      8·
      2 months ago

      Michigan is not a particularly great state for trans rights.

      It’s better than some places, I just wouldn’t call it a safe state.

      For example:

      • there are no trans health care shield laws in Michigan, and
      • gender affirming care is not protected for state employees.
      • House Bill 6454 was introduced in 2022 and if it passes anyone who assists trans youth with gender affirming care will be at risk of life in prison and a felony charge of child abuse of first degree.
      • There are no laws that punish violence against trans or gay people as hate crimes.
      • The “gay panic” defense for killing trans people was only abolished in Michigan as recently as July 2024.
      • Discrimination against trans people for credit and lending services is still legal in Michigan.

      I’m sure there are many places in Michigan where trans people are welcome, but it’s only “medium”-safe as a state, so it’s worth knowing.

      The states with the best laws:

      • Oregon
      • Washington
      • California
      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
      • Illinois
      • Minnesota
      • New York
      • Vermont
      • Massachusetts
      • New Jersey
      • Connecticut
      • Rhode Island
      • Maryland
      • Washington DC
      • Delaware

      Michigan is more like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Virginia in terms of laws and trans safety.

      Sources:

      Note: violence against trans people occurs in in both safe and unsafe states, so the “safety” I talk about has more to do with the laws on the books and the rights trans people have in those places, for example the right to change their gender marker on legal documents or to not be discriminated against when trying to secure housing.

      According to the HRC there is currently an “epidemic” of violence against trans people. Since 2013 there have been 335 confirmed trans or non-binary deaths due to violence. (We don’t have accurate statistics, so it’s hard to say exactly how many trans* folks are killed each year.)

      Almost two-thirds (63.6%) of all victims identified to date were killed in just ten states:

      • Texas (34 deaths),
      • Florida (31 deaths),
      • California (23 deaths),
      • Louisiana,
      • Georgia,
      • Pennsylvania,
      • Illinois,
      • Ohio,
      • Maryland, and
      • North Carolina.

      Source.

      Most victims were young, trans women of color.