I've moved to expensive cities with just $400, and I have 7 tips for anyone who needs to move quickly to escape anti-trans laws
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Courtesy of Leo Aquino
- In the US, 44 states have proposed or passed bills that threaten the rights of transgender people.
- To avoid discrimination, trans adults and families of trans youth are moving to sanctuary states.
- Several websites and apps make it easier for trans people to find jobs, hormones, and other resources.
It's a terrifying time for transgender people in the US right now.
Across the country, 44 states have introduced or passed bills that threaten our basic rights to use bathrooms aligned with our gender identity and receive life-saving, gender-affirming healthcare.
The scariest of these bills, SB 254, is moving forward in Florida. SB 254 threatens to separate trans kids from their supportive parents.
In response to anti-trans bills, families across the country are pillaging their emergency savings fund and going into debt to afford the move to sanctuary states like California and Minnesota.
On TikTok, trans adults and supportive parents of trans youth have spoken emotionally about the heartbreaking decision to move. TikToker Amanda Denis in Florida says in one of her videos, "My daughter came out at 4 ½. She's so happy. She has one best friend, and their parent is also my best friend. We have to leave that. It's not fair. We want to stay."
Thankfully, I live in California, where my rights as a trans person are protected. But seeing my community go through this reminds me of the times that I've had to uproot my life.
I moved to 3 major cities, each time with $400 or less in my pocket
In 2010, I moved to Chicago for college at 19 years old. I moved into a two-bedroom basement apartment that I split with a roommate, who was a complete stranger. My room was $510 per month. After moving expenses, I had about $150 left until my first work study paycheck kicked in.
Five years later, in 2015, I moved to New York City with no job, housing plans, or savings. I had about $400 for food, gas, and a MetroCard. I made a work-trade agreement with an artist in Long Island City. I'd complete 20 hours of administrative tasks, and she'd give me a studio space. At night, I'd sneak into that studio space with no heat or working shower for a safe place to sleep. I did that for four months until I found a full-time job, and could afford my own apartment.
Finally, in January 2020, I moved to Los Angeles with a little over $200. My parents helped me secure a bed at a hostel in a three-bedroom house shared with 15 other people that cost $450 per month. I was an essential worker when the pandemic started, and my parents helped me secure a room in an apartment in Hollywood for my safety. I recognize that many queer and trans people don't have the same support from their parents that I have. It's a privilege I don't take lightly.
It's expensive to live in big cities, but I would pay any amount of money to be with my community, to feel safe.
With that in mind, here's are seven steps I would take if I had to move suddenly because of an anti-trans bill like SB 254.
1. Call LGBTQ organizations in your desired state to find housing support
Many LGBTQ organizations across the country, like the Los Angeles LGBT Center, offer social services and housing for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability due to these anti-trans bills.
You can call LGBTQ organizations in the state where you'll move to ask for recommended neighborhoods, affordable housing options, and info on how to access state health insurance.
2. If you need to sleep in your car, ask local LGBTQ organizations about safe parking lots
If you're unable to afford an apartment or a home in your new state, it's normal and understandable to have to sleep in your car when times get tough.
When you arrive to your destination, connect with local LGBTQ organizations or organizations that help the unhoused in that city. Ask them which parking lots it would be safe to park and sleep in for a few nights.
For example, California has multiple free campsites where it's legal to camp out in your car overnight. Some people also take their chances with street parking or Walmart parking lots.
3. Visit local food banks to save on food
When you get to your destination, connect with local food banks to get free canned goods, boxed grocery items, and, sometimes, meat and vegetables. Local food banks may also provide menstrual care products, like pads and tampons.
4. Use community sites like Lex to find hormones and syringes
Lex is a community and social app that connects queer and trans people with their communities. Create a post to see if anyone in your area has any testosterone in gel or injections, syringes, or estrogen in its many forms.
Some trans people in your area may be willing to sell or give away extra hormones to help you out. Keep in mind that the legality of sharing these resources varies depending on where you are, and apps like Lex might work with law enforcement in some cases.
5. Use LGBTQ job boards if you need to find a gender-affirming workplace
If you need to leave your job in your home state, use queer and trans-friendly job boards like Trans Can Work and Diversity Jobs.
6. Use a credit card with long 0% APR introductory periods
If you need to open a credit card to afford your move, consider using one with a long 0% introductory period.
Credit card debt is one of the most difficult forms of consumer debt to navigate, because it accrues compound interest. Take, for example, a credit card that charges 19.99% interest. If you charge $500 on the card and it takes you a year to pay it off with minimum payments, you'll end up paying a total of $555.78. The $55.78 interest accrued is the cost of taking on that debt.
To give yourself time to pay off that debt, use a credit card with a long 0% APR introductory period. During that introductory period, your debt won't accrue any interest.
7. Use Facebook groups like Buy Nothing to find free furniture
If you end up using all your resources to move in a hurry, try using local LGBTQ Facebook groups and groups like Buy Nothing to find free furniture and home goods that your new neighbors are giving away.