Sorry to all the trans people in Alabama, this is horrific. Just a reminder, there’s a reason Alabama always ranks at the bottom of every state ranking list - it’s because the state govenrnment is a dysfunctional trainwreck made up of Republicans that ran on a platform of discrimination. They spend all their time defending discrimination rather than actually trying to serve their citizens.
If you want to escape your shithole state, Minnesota is a trans refuge state and we love our trans folks in the Twin Cities! There are certainly some Minnesotans in rural areas that would fit right in in Alabama, but you will never see them unless you go looking for them.
Yes, all are welcome in Minnesota, even in those rural areas. There are some backwards people but, as a lifelong Minnesotan, I choose to believe its just because they haven’t met or known any trans people themselves.
There are good people everywhere in the state, but there are some real bigots in the furthest places. Let’s not forget the COVID-19 protests at the governors mansion, or COVID-19 survey workers facing intimidation and racism.
That sadly doesn’t help trans people who were born in Alabama and already left, since that’s where their birth certificate would still fall under. Or if they got their license in Alabama, they may have trouble transferring it to their current state if their documents don’t match up.
It’s incredibly state dependent on how that works. Birth certificates can be ruined by your birth state, but that’s not the only way to manage things. Since federal identification still wotks, you can get a passport instead of a drivers license/state id, it’ll do everything except let you drive. You can also get your social security card updated too. As far as I know, that’s all that’s required to get set up with new identification in a different state.
Excellent points! There are definitely workarounds, but you have to look at what state options are available to you to make a plan that works for your situation. Some communities have trans advocates who can walk folks through that process for free, anyone looking to update their documents should see what resources are available.
Doesn’t it? Can you not transfer the documents with assigned gender, and then pursue records update in your new state?
Not for your birth certificate, no. That is fully in the hands of wherever you were born and can’t change. Your driver’s license/ID depends on your place of residence but you still would have to transfer a legal license from one state to another while moving, which can require several documents to prove you are who you say you are and live where you say you live. But that’s really state specific!
Some months ago, I suddenly realized my birth certificate could be problem, I was born in a red state but only lived there for less than a year as a baby before my mom moved us back to a state in New England. And of course I ended up being trans. So I looked up my birth state’s rules and just couldn’t stop crying, I even left work early that day because I was so upset by it. Fuck the right, fuck the bigots.
Illinois will issue trans refugees a new birth certificate! This is a recent development and the other sanctuary states will hopefully be pressured to step up and do likewise. So call your state politicians :) Make it happen!
