Richards says applications have skyrocketed since the election, with the majority of requests coming from Texas and Florida. In October, TCP had received a little more than 20 applications. By mid-November, the number was already over 400. “Everyone is scared right now,” she says. “Nobody really knows what's going to happen… The rhetoric is already happening and is already being translated into law. “Our problems already exist without anything Trump is going to do.”
on such platforms as instagram, mutual aid fund Has provided a secure way for people to anonymously ask for help and donate for relocation costs, medical costs, therapy, travel expenses etc. A popular account started in 2020, TransantaPosts stories and letters from trans people in need; Users can then donate directly, anonymously, by visiting that person's gift registry, which is shared by the Instagram account. Others, like genderbandProvides annual grants for a variety of transition care-related costs, including procedures, travel costs and paperwork.
However, these networks may be difficult to find for those in need. Iris and Kaliyah were both acquaintances Rainbow RailroadA globally operating non-profit organization Helps LGBTQ+ people flee persecutionBut smaller, more concentrated efforts are less likely to do so. Getting the word out to those who need help is paramount. Complicating matters is also the question of the safety of the organizers themselves. Making yourself known also means putting a target on their back.
Richards has taken responsibility for the spotlight to better protect her team, she says. TCP intends to “expand as quickly as possible”, including fundraising, training volunteers, and attempting to compile resources outside of Colorado. “We're talking to other groups in Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington and other safe states that are trying to compile similar resource lists like ours,” she says. “We're trying to support other groups trying to do this so we can meet this demand.”
None of these things can be done blindly and require careful investigation. “It's definitely difficult,” she says. “It requires a lot of trust on both sides.”
“And even some of those networks are so underground that we can't touch them. They will not work with a 501(c)(3), which I respect. I understand that since we are higher above ground than most of these networks, we are naturally at greater risk.
There are only a few weeks left until Trump takes office in January, but the politicization of the trans community shows no signs of slowing down. points to kaliyyah millions dollar's Republicans spent the most on anti-trans ads in the recent election cycle. “For those who refuse to educate themselves – we are also in an age of misinformation where things that are not true spread,” says Kaliah. Focusing on trans people, she says, “was a way to influence the election for people who were already fundamentally on the right to further screw up that demographic of people.”