somewhere safe and friendly for transgender NBMoC trying to be a biologist?

[u/ihatehomeschooling]

NBMoC = nonbinary man of color. before anyone asks.

sorry sorry i know this isn't the best subreddit for this, but my post got removed by the mods of the r\moving subreddit for unknown reason (i suppose transgender safety is too political? which is against the rules). most other subreddits don't allow these types of posts either so.

i live in the US (Mississippi) right now. thought i might move to Canada but i'm not so sure anymore. i mean i know there's pros and cons everywhere, but i do need some major boxes ticked:

• mostly or generally safe(r) for transgender people + safe for me to take testosterone
• i have a good chance of not starving and being homeless as a biologist + affordable college
• friendly, social, talkative people + thriving communities + less individualism + safer for black n brown people + more intellectualism

i could move somewhere else in the US i suppose but i don't feel good about that right now. most of it isn't safe for transgender people or people of color and funds for science are also being slashed i hear. the antiintellectualism here is KILLING ME.

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[u/any_internet_goose]

I live in upstate NY, and while it certainly isn’t perfect (we’re still in the US, lol) I feel mostly safe as a trans person, for now. However, I am white, so I can’t super meaningfully compare racism. Ive witnessed plenty of covert racism here, but there is a lot less in my current midsize city than I’d seen in my rural hometown (also upstate ny), which was a lot more blatantly outright racist, versus more the more covert racism of my current region. Being in NY my entire life, I have no idea how it would compare to somewhere like Mississippi. I’ve certainly seen a lot of trumpy bullshit in my area, but it’s almost exclusively in the rurals/burbs. The actual cities up here are pretty nice, and quite queer. Pride flags all over my neighborhood, lol.

My city has a pretty large trans population, and solid access to trans healthcare. Our rent can be pricey depending on where you wanna live, but no where near the prices in places like NYC or other major large cities. There are definitely affordable places to live, but it can be a slow hunt to find the right priced place. Bonus points; we are on the Canadian border on multiple fronts, if you need to leave quickly. Northern passage, lake passage, and western passage entrances. We have a lot of really good colleges in my city, and lots of well educated people. Depending on how long you live here before going to college, we also have several free college programs for state (SUNY) schools.

Honestly, my best endorsement is that living here is the only thing giving me any hope for my future, as someone also aspiring to start testosterone, and ideally enter a science field.

Not super comfortable outing my specific city in a comment, but if you wanna send me a DM I’d be happy to share more specifics with you =) either way, best of luck finding somewhere great for you! I hope you find a safe bubble to ride out this hellish time.

[u/ghoul-gore → u/any_internet_goose]

I'm from upstate NY too and can back this!

[u/fredarmisengangbang]

i mean the first and last points are gonna be localised in larger urban areas no matter where globally it is, and those are always going to be more competitive and less affordable. maybe i'm too nihilistic but i think a compromise is gonna be necessary on something.  i'm not super well-traveled but within the us i would recommend the bay area or san diego for the first and last points and cleveland for the second and last. chicago can kind of hit all three? i don't know how affordable things are there rn since i haven't been in a few years. i really hope you can find something good

[u/supernatural_catface]

What's your background in bio?

I live in Oakland, CA. It's expensive, but trans-friendly and differently racist than other places. I think it's less racist, but it's not great. The queer PoC community is large and vibrant. You would be as safe as you can be in the US in Oakland.

If you're the kind of biologist who can work in tech you can afford to live here. I know the job market is tough. It's possible that you would have an easier time than people other areas of tech--the bigger pharma companies are growing their biologics departments.

I hope you find your place!

[u/Strigops-habroptila]

You could also try r/tmpoc

[u/Cold_Basil_8658]

Maryland, specifically the Baltimore area, is worth looking into. Plenty of colleges around and in the city and a few HBCU’s. Tuition will vary depending on the institution but the public universities have some great aid programs. Feel free to pm if you’d like to discuss that more. Cost of living in MD is on the high side but if you’re a college student there are ways of getting by reasonably here. It’s safe to access T in the state. The Baltimore area has a lot of diversity, especially some of the universities, and the college communities are pretty social/friendly/more community minded. Education/intellectualism definitely valued!

[u/gloriousT-Rex]

If you are a working biologist there would be some suggestions to look into, but if you are wanting to study to be a biologist somewhere (abroad), that you'd then like to be able to stay and get a job easily (visa requirements) that would be a different list. Probably some cross over in that ven diagram, but different work to make it happen. Some countries it's easy to get a student visa, that has time after you're done to get a job. But the same place might not have/is very difficult to get a skilled whether visa.

All that aside the brain drain from the US is happening, researchers and professors are leaving. Canada has opened up and simplified healthcare worker visas. I can see them opening more too.

I'd start the search by looking at what rights LGBTQIA+ people have for a bunch of countries, doing a quick check for if there are any visa options you qualify for in the countries with lots of rights, and then seeing what level/flavor of racism exists exists there. Lastly don't forget about the weather, this includes hours of daylight, some folks really struggle with the sun setting at 4pm.

[u/RaeTheScribe]

Most new England states are blue and relatively affordable. I'm also in NY myself (another good place) but back when I thought about studying marine bio new England was my first choice of an eventual move.

[u/ellalir]

If you decide you do want to come to Canada, you should know that international student fees are pretty high (not sure how high, I didn't have to pay them) and we have a housing shortage in a lot of the country.  Also make sure to check on what the specific laws and friendliness levels are of the specific city and province you plan to move to, as they vary, although I believe you should be able to access HRT as an adult in any of the provinces.

My cousin got work in and I think now mostly lives in Canada as a US citizen marine invertebrate biologist, so it's certainly a thing that other people have done--though she got that started many years ago, so her experience then may not be fully applicable to yours now.

Also keep in mind for Canada that in some provinces the age of majority is 19, not 18, which can complicate some things. I was assuming you were older than that by calling yourself a biologist but I realized I should probably mention it.

[u/SketchyRobinFolks]

For your reference, here is a map by the Movement Advancement Project that tracks LGBT+ related laws & policies, and here is the most up-to-date map by Erin Reed (Erin In The Morning) tracking anti-trans legal risk.

I have heard good things about Colorado, Maine, New York, California, and New Mexico. Overall, these five have good protections for trans people. New Mexico is probably the best in terms of cost of living.

Edit: Sorry, ADHD brain isn't helping me read today. For considering leaving the country entirely, that's highly dependent on being able to get a job abroad. I think somewhere in Europe would probably be your best bet because there are many universities that offer tiny tuitions + scholarships + paths to citizenship to foreign students. I've personally started looking at this resource for this particular immigration path. I don't know specifics on countries meeting all your points. Europe does have a widespread racism problem for sure.