Transgender people are migrating across the country, and many are trying to decide which state they want to move to. This list shows the best states for being trans in 2023.
Colorado was not a great place for me and my partner to be trans despite all the legal protections. First of all the rent isn’t affordable for a single person, but if you’re moving with a family or are financially backed by one you should be ok.
The cities are straight up racist, unlike anything I’ve seen before in a city and I grew up in Texas. There is a huge lack of diversity that probably feeds this, but they look at trans POC like they’ve never seen one of us before, even in downtown Denver or Boulder.
Inevitably I had to leave Colorado and am now homeless due to a discriminatory housing act taken against me and my partner. I made six figures as a Naval Architect but was still paycheck to paycheck, and ran out of money to fight it. I was able to change my legal name quite easily while I was there, but the Denver courts also had no issue that my landlord dug up my deadname to use on the eviction anyways. We’re suing through the Colorado Civil Rights Department and expect to prevail in the next 12 months, but until then I’m living in my car in Michigan, where I first started my medical transition.
Hi! Minneapolis resident and constituent of Andrea Jenkins (she is my council person) here. Andrea Jenkins is indeed a Black trans woman. She is also a sycophantic rubber stamp for all things our neoliberal, renter-hating, cop-loving mayor and other old guard centrist dems love. She is no progressive and she lost the party endorsement (on the first ballot) to a progressive candidate. I knocked doors for Andrea when she ran for her first term. It didn’t take but a few weeks to see her performance in office to know I would never do that again.
This is very informative, very timely reporting! I am so glad that these states are enacting such good protections. My worry, of course, is that if the GOP scores a governmental trifecta next year - or if there is a hostile SCOTUS ruling anytime - then these state-level protections could be quickly overridden and thus invalidated. Awful examples would be health care bans, or erasing legal recognition through Kansas-style gender marker laws. What are the chances of that? Another hypothetical: in that scenario, would any of these states be able/willing to resist the federal anti-trans efforts and still provide protections to trans people? I ask only because normally, federal laws usually override state laws.
This is my concern, as well: Federal anti-trans (and anti-woman, anti-POC) legislation that supersedes state laws. A related concern is the rash of questionable decisions by Federal courts that rely on lies (Kascmaryk on mifipristone or Alito on Roe) or decisions that purport to use the Constitution to subvert the Constitution: Saying that speech by the government to media violates A1, or that affirmative action violates A14. Thank goodness for Justice Jackson!
Any thoughts on Oregon. I have been deciding between there and Washington based on geological scenery. I love the Pacific northwest and plan to move somewhere in that region.
Oregon deserves an honorable mention and I've added it - its protections are not as good as the ones listed here, but it is a "blue" state on my map, so its good!
I've been here three years now and love it. There's a doctor shortage in certain areas such as Salem which is driving up wait times, including PP clinics. But culture wise if you stick to the major cities you'll be good. Tons of conservatives in the more rural parts, especially eastern Oregon. They visit the capital en masse periodically but it's pretty easy to avoid them.
Also, Oregon is white af. Moving from CA it was a huge culture shock. It's changing slowly over time but something to be aware of lol.
Oregon's great in the Portland metro area but pretty conservative outside of that. Housing is $$, especially in Portland. Resources also limited out of Portland metro as well, though will say Corvallis and Eugene weren't too bad (and a sight better than many, many other states!)
We have anti-discrimination laws that are fairly comprehensive.
Racism can be a problem even in Portland. Rural areas are infamously historically white supremacist. Stay the heck out of Dallas and be cautious in southern OR.
The hiking is AMAZING though. If you love the outdoors, OR is your place.
WA gets a bump for cost of living. Seattle is expensive. But not too bad elsewhere. Give Vancouver some consideration. Benefits of WA but you're close to Portland for events
This is potentially a wonderful aid to people who are just trying to survive.
Places like Montana, where I am, have got to be frightening for -well - anyone who is different, but particularly those whose sexuality is not straight.
I admire you for what try to do. It is risky, but you do it.
Another thing about Denver’s cost of living: I was priced out of housing on Pride Weekend because the cheapest hotel that wasn’t booked was $895, making me and my partner have to sleep on a random building rooftop in Boulder for Pride.
I agree, Denver is expensive and has its ample share of issues with racism, police, and homelessness as you said. Definitely recommend having a good bit saved for a move and really look at costs for anywhere before moving but especially Denver area.
Thankfully Mayor Hancock is out of office and *potentially* Mike Johnson can help. Wasn’t my top choice, but perhaps improvements can come. My experience for the past few years is the county and district in the Denver area can have an impact on housing costs and diversity. The rippling effects of the city’s gentrification are still very present but there is lots to see and do. For any trans-veterans there are great resources available in Denver for transition, and the hospital has submitted for a center of excellence certification in anticipation of Veterans Affairs covering transgender surgeries. Avoid Aurora, lots of conservative white males and corruption within the police department.
Fantastic and much-needed info. This makes me so proud to be from Seattle. And happy to see that DC is a top place, too, being a transplant. Now let's see the courts strike down more anti-trans legislation. LGBTQ+ folks need and deserve broad choices. I appreciate your work!
I'm so curious to see which way WI ends up swinging in the coming years. As a trans guy who began HRT while on Badgercare at 17 in 2014 or so, it was honestly the easiest thing in the world from like, the healthcare side of things and while I'm sure that's changing and changed since I moved out, I still think about being baby trans in the mid 2010s in a swing state and how much of a nonissue it was for me to start hormones as a minor. I never had a single doctor, NP, psych, therapist, etc... ever suggest that my being trans was a fad or "social contagion" (despite my whole friend group being LGBT+, mostly trans).
Hell– I'm not sure most of my docs really cared about trans people in one way or another (like, very genuinely neutral to the whole concept of transness beyond dealing with my debilitating dysphoria). Having my dysphoria treated like any other "sex disorder" (insofar as I was treated like a cis teenage boy who was struggling w/ low T during puberty) was for sure a little irritating at the time bc I didn't feel my doctors really knew anything about transness, but in hindsight it was a very low key practice that actually allowed me to feel in control of the way my experiences were being understood by my care providers and in general I actually had a lot of control over my transition. Again, I know that the culture has probably shifted in the last 8 years since I left, but I hope some of that general 'benevolent ignorance' has maintained to a degree, not because I expect there to be incredible protections for trans people in the state, but hopefully it'll at least continue to be one of the less actively hostile places to be.
TL;DR: Not planning on moving out of CA in the forseeable future, but thank you for writing this! One day I'd love to see my home state on a list like this in the future (or at least a "Top 15" list), just based on what it was like nearly a decade ago, but ig I'm not holding my breath.
As a Seattle resident, I was thrilled to see WA at the top of the list! However--as awesome as the Sounders are (and I'm glad they had you recently featured at Pride Night!)--I admit it feels remiss to leave out mention of the women's soccer team, OL Reign, who actually have a trans player, Quinn, regularly in their starting eleven. A massive "protect trans kids" banner is displayed at every game, and the team has previously donned "protect trans kids" t-shirts in warm-ups. Players like Jess Fishlock take part in soccer clinics with trans kids and support TRUK! The OL Reign organization as a whole is a staunch supporter of trans rights! :-) GO REIGN!
Thanks for this! I wonder if you have any resources or any good information (or could do one yourself) for top 5(?) countries to be transgender in too? Only since I'm interested in moving somewhere and it's big priority in consideration for me. If not no big deal! :)
How did Connecticut not make this list? Much better affordability than places like CA, great civil rights protections, the first State in the Country to pass a safe harbor law, and a vibrant queer community.
I consider us to be a Top 5. I do see us in the honorable mentions.
This is anecdotal, but I know a trans woman who moved to Connecticut to escape her abusive MAGA mother from Georgia and she hates it there (in Connecticut), as she constantly has physical and mental health problems and treatments either aren't working or aren'y being paid for.
If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious why it isn't top 5? We are right now trying to decide between Western Washington and Western Mass. Mass is more affordable, but Washington isn't as cold. So curious what bumped it down. Potentially they may be things that aren't relevant to us? But if they are, I def want to know so we can eliminate it! Thank you for all you do!!
I don't think Massachusetts is going in the right direction and I would not advise other trans people to move here.
The cost of living is untenable here, even in the rural areas, and the prices are going up quickly. We also have some very active hate groups that have successfully had permits revoked from drag shows. Personally, I live about two blocks from a house with a N-zi flag and wouldn't dream of flying a pride flag here. Unfortunately the hate groups here are brilliantly organized and easy to find while the progressive groups here are mostly inactive and sitting on their laurels.
MA is also VERY racist. The school systems are deeply segregated with all of the white kids in Honors/AP and all of the black, brown, and indigenous kids funneled into lower academic tracks. There is also a strong K-12 police presence in schools.
The medical coverage is okay - expect to have routine gaps in HRT coverage because while the insurance companies are legally required to cover gender affirming care, they also require a prior authorization every. single. months. On paper I should have excellent access to care but I am rationing my medication because I never know when I'll be able to fill. Sometimes the monthly prior authorization takes 2 days. Sometimes it takes 6 weeks.
It's not blatantly unsafe in that I feel safe walking anywhere at almost any time, but the systemic stuff will get you and you have to be VERY careful about choosing educational pathways if you have kids. If you're in the right district, the public school system will be better than any private, but if you're in the rural areas, the public school system is going to be deeply underfunded and align with more conservative areas.
Western MA, where I live, is an affordable alternative to the Boston area. Look into Holyoke and Easthampton. There are a lot of us trans folks here and the culture is very liberal, even though I'm sure there are incidents of prejudice. We also have Transhealth Northampton, a clinic run by and for queer folks: https://transhealth.org/
Hi there, thank you so much for your hard work. It’s been so helpful. What about Delaware or Maryland? My family needs to relocate to protect my teen son. I would love to hear your opinion.
Thanks for this and for this newsletter.
I'll keep working to help Maine make this list, but we have a ways to go.
Maine is close and could get there in a year or two.
Colorado was not a great place for me and my partner to be trans despite all the legal protections. First of all the rent isn’t affordable for a single person, but if you’re moving with a family or are financially backed by one you should be ok.
The cities are straight up racist, unlike anything I’ve seen before in a city and I grew up in Texas. There is a huge lack of diversity that probably feeds this, but they look at trans POC like they’ve never seen one of us before, even in downtown Denver or Boulder.
Inevitably I had to leave Colorado and am now homeless due to a discriminatory housing act taken against me and my partner. I made six figures as a Naval Architect but was still paycheck to paycheck, and ran out of money to fight it. I was able to change my legal name quite easily while I was there, but the Denver courts also had no issue that my landlord dug up my deadname to use on the eviction anyways. We’re suing through the Colorado Civil Rights Department and expect to prevail in the next 12 months, but until then I’m living in my car in Michigan, where I first started my medical transition.
Hi! Minneapolis resident and constituent of Andrea Jenkins (she is my council person) here. Andrea Jenkins is indeed a Black trans woman. She is also a sycophantic rubber stamp for all things our neoliberal, renter-hating, cop-loving mayor and other old guard centrist dems love. She is no progressive and she lost the party endorsement (on the first ballot) to a progressive candidate. I knocked doors for Andrea when she ran for her first term. It didn’t take but a few weeks to see her performance in office to know I would never do that again.
I am sad to be reading this. Although it is unsurprising how some folks who claim to be progressive are actually less than progressive.
I’m glad that your support for and opposition to her policies had nothing to do with her gender! That’s as it should be!
This is very informative, very timely reporting! I am so glad that these states are enacting such good protections. My worry, of course, is that if the GOP scores a governmental trifecta next year - or if there is a hostile SCOTUS ruling anytime - then these state-level protections could be quickly overridden and thus invalidated. Awful examples would be health care bans, or erasing legal recognition through Kansas-style gender marker laws. What are the chances of that? Another hypothetical: in that scenario, would any of these states be able/willing to resist the federal anti-trans efforts and still provide protections to trans people? I ask only because normally, federal laws usually override state laws.
This is my concern, as well: Federal anti-trans (and anti-woman, anti-POC) legislation that supersedes state laws. A related concern is the rash of questionable decisions by Federal courts that rely on lies (Kascmaryk on mifipristone or Alito on Roe) or decisions that purport to use the Constitution to subvert the Constitution: Saying that speech by the government to media violates A1, or that affirmative action violates A14. Thank goodness for Justice Jackson!
Any thoughts on Oregon. I have been deciding between there and Washington based on geological scenery. I love the Pacific northwest and plan to move somewhere in that region.
Oregon deserves an honorable mention and I've added it - its protections are not as good as the ones listed here, but it is a "blue" state on my map, so its good!
I've been here three years now and love it. There's a doctor shortage in certain areas such as Salem which is driving up wait times, including PP clinics. But culture wise if you stick to the major cities you'll be good. Tons of conservatives in the more rural parts, especially eastern Oregon. They visit the capital en masse periodically but it's pretty easy to avoid them.
Also, Oregon is white af. Moving from CA it was a huge culture shock. It's changing slowly over time but something to be aware of lol.
ok, cool!
Oregon's great in the Portland metro area but pretty conservative outside of that. Housing is $$, especially in Portland. Resources also limited out of Portland metro as well, though will say Corvallis and Eugene weren't too bad (and a sight better than many, many other states!)
We have anti-discrimination laws that are fairly comprehensive.
Racism can be a problem even in Portland. Rural areas are infamously historically white supremacist. Stay the heck out of Dallas and be cautious in southern OR.
ok, thanks!
The hiking is AMAZING though. If you love the outdoors, OR is your place.
WA gets a bump for cost of living. Seattle is expensive. But not too bad elsewhere. Give Vancouver some consideration. Benefits of WA but you're close to Portland for events
I definitely am. I got to visit Vancouver and I loved it.
This is potentially a wonderful aid to people who are just trying to survive.
Places like Montana, where I am, have got to be frightening for -well - anyone who is different, but particularly those whose sexuality is not straight.
I admire you for what try to do. It is risky, but you do it.
That is heroic.
How about Illinois? My fiance and I were thinking about moving there from Ohio.
Illinois is great and is on the honorable mentions list!
Another thing about Denver’s cost of living: I was priced out of housing on Pride Weekend because the cheapest hotel that wasn’t booked was $895, making me and my partner have to sleep on a random building rooftop in Boulder for Pride.
I agree, Denver is expensive and has its ample share of issues with racism, police, and homelessness as you said. Definitely recommend having a good bit saved for a move and really look at costs for anywhere before moving but especially Denver area.
Thankfully Mayor Hancock is out of office and *potentially* Mike Johnson can help. Wasn’t my top choice, but perhaps improvements can come. My experience for the past few years is the county and district in the Denver area can have an impact on housing costs and diversity. The rippling effects of the city’s gentrification are still very present but there is lots to see and do. For any trans-veterans there are great resources available in Denver for transition, and the hospital has submitted for a center of excellence certification in anticipation of Veterans Affairs covering transgender surgeries. Avoid Aurora, lots of conservative white males and corruption within the police department.
Fantastic and much-needed info. This makes me so proud to be from Seattle. And happy to see that DC is a top place, too, being a transplant. Now let's see the courts strike down more anti-trans legislation. LGBTQ+ folks need and deserve broad choices. I appreciate your work!
I'm so curious to see which way WI ends up swinging in the coming years. As a trans guy who began HRT while on Badgercare at 17 in 2014 or so, it was honestly the easiest thing in the world from like, the healthcare side of things and while I'm sure that's changing and changed since I moved out, I still think about being baby trans in the mid 2010s in a swing state and how much of a nonissue it was for me to start hormones as a minor. I never had a single doctor, NP, psych, therapist, etc... ever suggest that my being trans was a fad or "social contagion" (despite my whole friend group being LGBT+, mostly trans).
Hell– I'm not sure most of my docs really cared about trans people in one way or another (like, very genuinely neutral to the whole concept of transness beyond dealing with my debilitating dysphoria). Having my dysphoria treated like any other "sex disorder" (insofar as I was treated like a cis teenage boy who was struggling w/ low T during puberty) was for sure a little irritating at the time bc I didn't feel my doctors really knew anything about transness, but in hindsight it was a very low key practice that actually allowed me to feel in control of the way my experiences were being understood by my care providers and in general I actually had a lot of control over my transition. Again, I know that the culture has probably shifted in the last 8 years since I left, but I hope some of that general 'benevolent ignorance' has maintained to a degree, not because I expect there to be incredible protections for trans people in the state, but hopefully it'll at least continue to be one of the less actively hostile places to be.
TL;DR: Not planning on moving out of CA in the forseeable future, but thank you for writing this! One day I'd love to see my home state on a list like this in the future (or at least a "Top 15" list), just based on what it was like nearly a decade ago, but ig I'm not holding my breath.
So you're saying Mississippi didn't make the cut? That's wierd, I've had such a good time down here 😳
As a Seattle resident, I was thrilled to see WA at the top of the list! However--as awesome as the Sounders are (and I'm glad they had you recently featured at Pride Night!)--I admit it feels remiss to leave out mention of the women's soccer team, OL Reign, who actually have a trans player, Quinn, regularly in their starting eleven. A massive "protect trans kids" banner is displayed at every game, and the team has previously donned "protect trans kids" t-shirts in warm-ups. Players like Jess Fishlock take part in soccer clinics with trans kids and support TRUK! The OL Reign organization as a whole is a staunch supporter of trans rights! :-) GO REIGN!
Thanks for this! I wonder if you have any resources or any good information (or could do one yourself) for top 5(?) countries to be transgender in too? Only since I'm interested in moving somewhere and it's big priority in consideration for me. If not no big deal! :)
How did Connecticut not make this list? Much better affordability than places like CA, great civil rights protections, the first State in the Country to pass a safe harbor law, and a vibrant queer community.
I consider us to be a Top 5. I do see us in the honorable mentions.
This is anecdotal, but I know a trans woman who moved to Connecticut to escape her abusive MAGA mother from Georgia and she hates it there (in Connecticut), as she constantly has physical and mental health problems and treatments either aren't working or aren'y being paid for.
Wondering about your thoughts on MA. Trying to encourage my trans fam to join me here.
Great state! Not top 5, but very good.
If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious why it isn't top 5? We are right now trying to decide between Western Washington and Western Mass. Mass is more affordable, but Washington isn't as cold. So curious what bumped it down. Potentially they may be things that aren't relevant to us? But if they are, I def want to know so we can eliminate it! Thank you for all you do!!
I don't think Massachusetts is going in the right direction and I would not advise other trans people to move here.
The cost of living is untenable here, even in the rural areas, and the prices are going up quickly. We also have some very active hate groups that have successfully had permits revoked from drag shows. Personally, I live about two blocks from a house with a N-zi flag and wouldn't dream of flying a pride flag here. Unfortunately the hate groups here are brilliantly organized and easy to find while the progressive groups here are mostly inactive and sitting on their laurels.
MA is also VERY racist. The school systems are deeply segregated with all of the white kids in Honors/AP and all of the black, brown, and indigenous kids funneled into lower academic tracks. There is also a strong K-12 police presence in schools.
The medical coverage is okay - expect to have routine gaps in HRT coverage because while the insurance companies are legally required to cover gender affirming care, they also require a prior authorization every. single. months. On paper I should have excellent access to care but I am rationing my medication because I never know when I'll be able to fill. Sometimes the monthly prior authorization takes 2 days. Sometimes it takes 6 weeks.
It's not blatantly unsafe in that I feel safe walking anywhere at almost any time, but the systemic stuff will get you and you have to be VERY careful about choosing educational pathways if you have kids. If you're in the right district, the public school system will be better than any private, but if you're in the rural areas, the public school system is going to be deeply underfunded and align with more conservative areas.
Western MA, where I live, is an affordable alternative to the Boston area. Look into Holyoke and Easthampton. There are a lot of us trans folks here and the culture is very liberal, even though I'm sure there are incidents of prejudice. We also have Transhealth Northampton, a clinic run by and for queer folks: https://transhealth.org/
Hi there, thank you so much for your hard work. It’s been so helpful. What about Delaware or Maryland? My family needs to relocate to protect my teen son. I would love to hear your opinion.
Maryland is better than Delaware, and Maryland is on the honorable mentions list!