It’s happened, and Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States, with all that means for trans Americans.
We wish we could offer all of you one of our individual consultations to help you form a plan to get out. But we’re not going to be able to do that. Since the election was called, less than 3 days ago as we write this, we have received 130 requests for consults, and we expect the number to continue to grow. That’s far more than we can handle in a timely manner. So we are offering different services during this time.
Email. If you have emailed us asking for a 1 on 1 consultation, we are going to try to read every email you have sent. If we think a question won’t be covered by our other services, we’ll respond with an individual email besides our mail merge email. We continue to be reachable for questions at
usa-campaign@transrescue.org
but please attend one of our YouTube sessions first.
Streams We are going to be having a series of YouTube streams. Anyone can participate in these, and there will be a way to ask questions and have them answered. Some of these will be general information, and some will be on specific topics. We recommend first attending one of the general sessions, and then the one on a specific topic. There is a calendar embedded in this page below with times. We will record the live streams.
This is the link for the YouTube live stream.
Can’t make the live stream? The recorded sessions are here.
Office Hours. We will be having office hours. You can show up on an open Google Meet and talk with one of our staff. We ask everyone to first participate in one of our YouTube streams, as space in office hours is limited and better used for questions not handled by the presentations. Here’s the link for the office hours. See the calendar below for times:
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/fez-emmc-ryy
Or dial: 617-675-4444 PIN: 485 383 284 2751#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/fez-emmc-ryy?pin=4853832842751
Mutual Aid. We are organizing mutual aid resources, both in and outside the USA. We are collecting names of those who have a sofa and will host a trans person, those who can give you a spot in the outbuilding on their farm, those who can drive you to a border, and so on. If you can offer such resources, email volunteer@transrescue.org
Fifth, we are publishing more information all the time. Check out our website, particularly this article (bit dated, but still valid), our YouTube channel, and follow us on Mastodon @trans_rescue@mastodon.social. We still also have a presence on the bird site as @Trans_Rescue .
What to know up front
The situation is not hopeless. Of the roughly 80 Americans we’ve spoken with in consults before the election, we were able to help all of them come up with a realistic plan to get out.
You need a passport. If you don’t have one, it’s the first step. If you haven’t applied, we suggest attending a help webinar first. We will have some info about how to best apply in the current situation. If you can’t afford one, attend our session on leaving while poor.
We cannot give you money to help you leave. We continue to help people in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other incredibly deadly places. We believe anyone can leave, regardless of financial circumstance, on their own. We will have a special session addressing getting out if you have little or no money.
Many of you have written to us about asylum options. Asylum is not a realistic option for leaving. Conditions for trans people in the USA at this time do not support an asylum claim. We will have a special event on asylum, but the TL;DR is it’s mostly unrealistic.
Sending us material about what you think will happen in the USA is not helpful. We’re not interested in predicting the future. We help people leave.
We are in the Netherlands. We would love to do more sessions at evening time, but this means being up at 3am for us. We feel being coherent is important during these broadcasts.
We will have a special session on dealing with disability and disability payments. We’re struggling to find someone who can speak with authority on this issue.
Special Sessions –
See calendar for times.
Volunteer tourism – Nov 15 – a way to drastically cut the cost of living outside the USA.
Canada – Nov 17 – Canadian visa options
DAFT treaty visa and remote worker visas – Nov 18 – The Netherlands has an attractive visa program for Americans who can deposit 5500$ in an account and leave it and have a college degree or extensive job experience and will start a business (usually a consultancy) in the Netherlands.
Getting out with few financial resources – Nov 19 – We think everybody can get out. Even if you’re not sure how you’ll pay the rent next month. DATE CHANGED – Now on Google Meet.
Volunteer Tourism – Nov 20 – This option combines work and a holiday. This is a popular option for cis young people, but is increasingly a way to increase mobility for folks around the world. DATE CHANGED
Citizenship by investment or heritage – Nov 22 – If you have ancestors from somewhere else, within 3-4 generations but especially within 1 or 2, you may be eligible for citizenship there. If you have equity in a home or own a business you may be able to move the investment and be given citizenship where you move.
Disability – Nov 25 – untangling the complexities of moving when you are in the disability benefits system, or being disabled makes things more complex.
Session Calendar
This calendar is on Pacific time (Los Angeles)