As anti-LGBTQ+ laws continue to spread across the United States, many transgender individuals are seeking ways to leave their homes in search of a better life. In response, a newly formed group called TRANSport is providing assistance to transgender people seeking asylum or emigration from the country.
The group has already received nearly three dozen applications for assistance from transgender Americans seeking to obtain legal documents such as valid IDs and passports, which are necessary for leaving the United States. TRANSport’s ultimate goal is to transport at-risk transgender people to more accepting societies abroad.
Founder Rynn Azerial Willgohs says the organization has received most of its applications from North Dakota but has also received inquiries from residents of Oklahoma, a state currently working to ban gender-affirming care for individuals over 18 years old. TRANSport helps its clients with legal name changes, obtaining verified medical diagnoses, and shipping medications from the U.S. to other countries.
The organization is also focused on fundraising so that it can cover most of its clients’ costs, which can reach up to $2,000 per person. TRANSport screens its clients for ancestral links to a potential country that would make moving easier.
While seeking asylum in Europe is an option, experts warn that it will be challenging for transgender Americans because the rules dictate that one must be persecuted in their home country. Americans have the option of moving from red states to blue states or to states with less draconian restrictions. However, these states tend to be more expensive and require resources that many transgender people seeking to leave their homes do not have, according to Willgohs.
The increasing number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills throughout the country, from bills banning gender-affirming care for children and adults to laws that give teachers the authority to misgender trans students, has been documented by the American Civil Liberties Union. Republicans have associated gender-affirming care falsely with child abuse. As such, the work of organizations like TRANSport is vital in helping transgender Americans seek asylum or emigrate from the United States.