Activist creates map of US showing where trans people can live safely
Trans people are encouraged to use the new map to figure out which states are more trans friendly. (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Vuk Valcic)
A new map has been created by a transgender activist outlining the anti-trans legislative risks across the US.
The map is by activist Erin Reed, an independent reporter and content creator, and provides a breakdown of anti-trans legislation across all 50 US states.
With more and more trans people worried about their own safety due to the rise in anti-trans legislation plaguing the US, the new map enables users to quickly figure out whether their home state is a safe option.
“Every day, I’ve gotten messages from worried people wondering how they are supposed to assess their risk of staying in their home state,” Erin Reed said in a statement on her website.
“I created the legislative risk map specifically to help answer that question. Now more than ever, it is a question that needs answering for so many transgender people facing forced medical detransition, bans on the use of our names, pronouns and identification documents, and many other curtailments of our rights to exist in public life.”
High risk states for trans people in the US
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Reed stated that the past two weeks have seen the risk of anti-trans legislation increase in many states.
These states, according to Reed, are ones which are closely watched due to anti-trans legislation being consistently introduced but denied. Some have anti-trans governors with eyes set on introducing various discriminatory policies similar to the most unsafe states for trans people.
“All of these states are at high risk of moving into the ranks of the ‘worst states’ in terms of anti-trans laws,” she said.
“That does not mean that trans people in them can rest easy – states can rush through bills like we saw in places like Iowa and Kentucky this last week, which both rushed through gender affirming care bans.”
The worst states to be trans in the US
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
“These states have passed the worst anti-transgender legislation or enforced existing laws against transgender already,” she added.
“The worst laws appear in these states. Texas is home to the weaponisation of DFPS against transgender people and 34 anti-trans bills proposed this cycle. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah have all also passed gender affirming care bans for trans youth.”
The safest places to be transgender in the US
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
- Washington, DC
In a vivid blue, Reed has marked the states that are safest for trans people to live. With improved healthcare policies and better protections, these areas are most desirable for the majority of trans people in the country.
“Transgender people in these states are better protected culturally and legally than in other states. States like Hawaii, Colorado, and Washington maintain explicit transgender healthcare policies that cover surgeries that often go without coverage in other states,” she added.
“Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California are currently considering policies or have passed policies that protect transgender refugees fleeing from other states.”
