Relocation for LGBTQ+ Community in the United States

When Stefanie Newell made the life-changing decision to move to Denver last year, her motivation was twofold: acceptance and financial considerations. As a transgender woman, she felt that finding comfort and safety in her identity was challenging in her hometown of San Antonio, especially amidst a wave of Texas legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

However, the move also came with financial challenges. In San Antonio, she lived with her mother and enjoyed a relatively low cost of living. The cost of relocating to Denver alone depleted her savings. “I thought I was well-prepared, but upon arrival, I found myself flat broke,” shared Ms. Newell, 25. Denver, known for its higher cost of living, required her to juggle part-time paralegal work, freelance writing and editing gigs, and ad revenue from her Instagram content to afford her $1,800 per month downtown one-bedroom apartment. “It’s taken off to the point where I’m not in the negative,” she said. “It definitely gets close.”

For gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals in the United States, the decision to relocate to more welcoming and protective environments, often coastal cities, has been a common choice for decades. This migration was often driven by the pursuit of greater tolerance, albeit at the expense of higher rent.

While the need for such relocations appeared to diminish in the 21st century with the legalization of gay marriage and the mainstreaming of pride events, the recent surge in laws banning transition care for transgender youths, now enacted in 25 states, has reignited the urgency for sanctuary.

These laws, primarily focused on gender identity rather than sexual orientation, have far-reaching implications. Abbie Goldberg, the director of women’s and gender studies at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., conducts regular surveys on LGBTQ+ individuals and families. In a recent study, she discovered that Florida’s legislation restricting discussions on sexual identity in public schools has heightened the desire of LGBTQ+ parents to leave the state.