How can I actually get out of the US?
For obvious reasons, I desperately want to get out of the United States. Unfortunately, every country I look at doesn't seem interested in gaining a retail worker with no savings.
Am I just fucked? Is anywhere accepting us as refugees? Is there anywhere that's both relatively friendly to trans people AND relatively easy for an American to immigrate to?
There are lots of places you can go, especially if you are flexible in how you do it. For example, it is fairly easy to get a student visa in most countries, and that will cover you for at least 4 years. Socially liberal countries like Finland, Iceland, and Germany have universities that are free to attend, even for foreigners, and a student visa will typically allow you to work to cover living expenses. Moreover, as the political climate in the U.S. deteriorates, and it is sliding quickly, I expect asylum avenues to open up. If you're already in country as a student and not causing problems, and you're in the first wave seeking asylum, odds are pretty good that you'd be accepted. Yes, there will be language and cultural issues to navigate, but most people in these countries speak english and they're part of the western world, so the cultural gulf will not be that big.
that doesn't seem like a useful path for a 36 year old with a measly two-year associates degree does it lol (that would be describing myself). any ideas that aren't through being a student?
They're talking about going back to school, not what you've already done
I'll share my story since parts of it may apply to OP.
In 2023 I took a trip oversees to find myself and take a break from the town I was and am living in, which is a relatively conservative pocket of Oregon. I thought I was a cis male at the time, and I was basically a closeted bisexual, which fit the local culture of toxic masculinity rather well. That was when I went back to college in order to finish my degree and hopefully move overseas.
I started seeing myself as more non-binary and was wearing fem clothes and makeup in early 2024. I faced very little harassment in the town and was even complemented on my nails at a grocery store that plays gospel music over the radio. People were surprisingly accepting. I started HRT that summer, then everything went downhill politically. Biden dropped out of the running, a certain fascist called Harris a loser a bunch of times (which I didn't think would be an effective strategy), and I voted Libertarian because I couldn't take any of it seriously. Then the fascist won, and by enough of a margin that I started looking at maps to figure out where I would be safe. From December onwards I've been facing gender-based harassment regularly.
I'm supposed to graduate in 2026. At that point I can move, and I might have to if I need access to medication, income, and the larger queer community. I'm not sure if I've earned refugee status yet, but the rise of fascism is a slow process and I don't know what the future holds for my rights and safety.
Is too late to recommend going to college? At the very least you'll have something to take your mind off of the disaster, and you might meet other queer people, even if they themselves have plans to move.
I mean, if all I've gotta do is go to college to get out of here id happily do that.
That is a possibility. Or you could hunker down with a pride flag until you get hate crimed, which would strengthen your case for seeking asylum. /s
Norway is currently not granting asylum to American trans people. But the green party wants to. they are currently one of the parties in the ruling coalition so it might happen soon.
This is the way. Canada's just the closest option. EU would take you too. Don't blame you(op). This is fucked. Just a reminder for everyone, this doesn't stop with trans people. It keeps going until it reaches you
See also this PDF guide by University of Toronto
Europe has a worker program for young people.
I’m going to be moving to Uruguay. The cost of living is relative low, so I can get an online job that pays a lot less than I make now and still be able to live in a big city there. They are also really great to LGBTQ+ people there from what I have heard.
Were any of your grandparents born in a different country?
If so, look into applying for citizenship in that country and then a passport from that country. Not all countries base qualifications on grandparents but some do.
Just to add, I have family from bit Italy and Ireland. Italian law currently doesn't allow me citizenship as the line passes through my grandmother. I have a path to Irish citizenship but had have difficulty finding necessary records even though I have family in Ireland.
edit - I don't really care what country i can get into as long as it in the EU.
You can claim refugee status in Canada but I'm pretty sure you've checked out this option:
Most of Western Europe is alright too if you're happy to travel overseas.
idk if it’s still in effect (i fucking hope not) but canada has a mutual agreement with the US that considers both countries to be "safe", and therefore any immigrant crossing one country to go to the other can be deported back (to the other country)
if you’re coming from the US and asking for asylum in canada, i doubt it would be granted because of this…
edit: it’s called the safe third country agreement if anyone wants to read on it (and it seems to still be in effect)
The STCA is still in effect but only for foreigners, US citizens can claim refugee status anyway. It might help to contact a lawyer or a non-profit like Rainbow Railroad or at least consult this guide (May 2025).
Either way, there is a major push to create LGBT+ exemptions in the STCA or repeal it altogether, and it has been successfully challenged in court by a non-binary person.
There are some cases yet to be tried for Canadian asylum for trans people. We will have to see how they play out.
With what is happening currently in the US, try requesting political asylum in Canada or a European country.
And: good luck, I hope you can get out of there before it is to late
On paper you could go to Germany and demand political asylum: You have a constitutional right to it.
In practice I wouldn’t count your chances as too high though: Some neighbouring country have in fact denied those kinds of claims and I’m not sure how well this would fare in Germany… So take this as something to look into, but not as a “this is definitely an option”.
No idea on what's needed with regards to paperwork/legal stuff, but if you can get over here then Brighton in the UK has a huge LGBTQ community and would be very welcoming of trans people.
All due respect mate as an American socialist who spent the past couple years living in the UK I'm not convinced y'all are in a much better position. I'm sure the community would be welcoming (as would many communities in the states) but I feel like the UK is sitting on the knifes edge ATM and could go either way. And if it goes authoritarian it may do so even faster than the US just due to the nature of how the countries are constructed. Obviously any port in a storm but if I'm looking to flee authoritarianism the UK isn't at the top of my list. Wishing y'all the best of luck over there
TERF Island is not a safe place for trans people. Better than the US? Probably. I imagine you're less likely to get hate crimed, at least. But they've been the biggest driver of the anti-trans misinformation machine that's plagued medicine and culture for 20 years now. Trans medical care is incredibly difficult to get there and the government has been trying to get rid of it entirely for at least a decade now. Many of the politicians are funded by right-wing extremist Christian fundamentalist groups from the US.
They're not far behind the US and Canada in the fall to fascism. It's just a less hateful and more Big Brother flavor for the most part.
Yeah, sadly I can't really disagree with those points. I was just thinking about ease of entry, cultural similarities, and somewhere with a strong LGBTQ community. I wish you all the best with your relocation. Take care :)
Countries don't generally say "we will accept this group as a refugee" in advance. You really need to fly to a country and then apply for asylum. I have read that Canada has accepted trans people as refugees, and I'm trying to work out getting a friend here to Australia to apply.
Edit: To be clear, under international law, they can't send you back if Trump decides that citizens who have claimed asylum elsewhere will be punished, even if you wouldn't otherwise qualify.
Ironically the USA is known for historically having the least amount of legal barriers to allow for citizenship.
All other countries across the globe have austere strict policies because they dont want large quantities of immigrants that are unable to contribute back.
Sorry to burst your bubble, everyone else is unwilling to accept the amount of immigrants equivalent to what USA allows because the other countries dont want their taxes and well paid social welfare programs to help with people that aren't part of their own society, nor has paid into it like its own citizens have done. It's as simple as that.
The only type of immigrants that all countries want are wealthy ones or highly educated ones. They could not give two fucks about working-class immigrants because their own countries already have plentiful amounts of us peasants.
This is very wrong...
Nations like immigrants because they provide cheap labor and work hard while paying taxes into social welfare programs that citizens take advantage of. I think you are making a mistake that immigrants automatically become citizens in the country they come to, because they do not. It takes a long time to gain citizenship (and therefore access to social welfare) once you actually come to a new country.
This video is fun and explains the process: https://youtu.be/tXqnRMU1fTs
You don’t need citizenship to live other places, you just exist there as an expat. I’ve lived abroad from the US for nearly three decades as an expat and never even tried to get any other citizenship.
If you are working now, please do remember the IRS demands you still declare/pay taxes, even if you renounce your US citizenship. So if you are emigrating to Canada or any other FATCA country, keep that in mind.
If you go back to school in the EU, like some have proposed, be advised most of European academia ist costing money. No clue about other places.
That said I'm in Europe now and looking at other places, because the overall climate is not great. There are pockets of progress and understanding. I'm lucky to be in one. My Canadian/American friends assure me there still are many friendly places left in the US. Maybe you can find one as a shorter term solution.
Here's two places I have considered:
Argentina
Pros: fairly easy to get residence, liberal for south america, free college, free public hospital, easy to start business with no license.
Cons: Hard to make ends meet without skills. Apartments can restrict to women only
Spain:
Pros: Very accepting of LGBTQ+ from what I've heard. Eurozone. Some small towns have rent incentives for new people (check with locality).
Cons: Some declining population.
If you have a college degree it's relatively easy to get a job teaching English in Japan. The money kinda blows but if you just need an escape it's an option.