Trans Abroad Forum - Recent Topics

Life in Massachusetts - My Blue State Story

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:52:54 +0000

The US is scary and many of us are asking, "where can I go?" Under this administration it's easy to recommend leaving the country entirely for those with the means to easily do so, however, for most of us that isn't an easy choice or maybe even a choice at all.

However, moving to a blue state is much easier than moving to an entirely different country.

So, what's a blue state like and is it worth it?

Honestly? It's pretty great. For the time being, I feel not only safe here, but welcomed and normal. A few years ago I would have said it was potentially the most trans-friendly place in the entire world.

If I go for a walk I'll frequently see trans pride flags, I personally know of around half a dozen trans people living within a five or so minute walk from me and I'm sure there are more that I don't see. Earlier today I walked to a local trans mixer and met an additional dozen trans women from the area. There are monthly trans events that reach full capacity with dozens of us packing out the rooms and so many other events I can't imagine I'd ever go a week without one if I wanted to. I can't imagine I'd ever run out of new trans people to meet.

Seeing visibly queer and trans people is a normal and expected part of your day. There's a profound joy in seeing so much community so easily accessible. There's a feeling like no matter what happens here, I won't be alone. Tons of groups, organizations, community resources, anything you could ever really need or want.

Violence and bigotry exist, but less than almost anywhere else I've ever been. Having lived here for years I'm struggling to think of transphobic experiences and the closest I've been is probably just a bouncer turning cold after seeing my old ID lol.

It's hard to find a church that doesn't have pride flags plastered all around it. Dating and making friends is about as easy/hard as everyone else in society.

It feels good that I KNOW my state doesn't want to throw trans people under the bus. It feels good to know that I don't have to be afraid to use the restroom and that it's not only legal but expected for us to be there.

Now, that being said - it isn't perfect still. There are still outrages. There are still problems. Most notably, while the left have a very strong foothold here, they haven't been able to protect everyone they want to. Many of my neighbors are immigrants and the state wasn't able to protect them from being thrown into vans never to be seen again. The last time I left the US there were multiple people taken all around my neighborhood that week alone. One of our most famous trans-friendly clinics already stopped prescribing HRT to anyone 19 years old or younger due to federal funding threats. Pressure keeps getting put on our state to cave to transphobic agendas.

It's also nauseatingly expensive, but at the end of the day if you can't figure out a visa elsewhere and you can figure out how to survive here financially it's probably going to be one of your best bets and I'd recommend it over a red state or most blue states any day.

Happy to answer any questions from people in red states considering the move. ^^

TransAbroad.org/News Submissions

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:08:50 +0000

Got a piece of news you think the trans community should know about? Post it below!

Please make an effort to verify your sources and information. Good and bad news alike are welcome, however please try to keep it to a more national scale.

Ex: A country passing a transphobic bill is important information for the community as a whole where-as a story about a trans kid winning the local science fair likely isn't going to hold much value to someone trying to decide what country to reside in.

I'll try to update the website as often as I can, but please keep in mind I'm doing all of this alone for negative money lol T_T

My Experience Spending A Couple Months in Thailand As An American Trans Woman

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:11:20 +0000

Hello! I know it isn't much, but to kick start a thread in Thailand I thought I'd give an account of my time in timeline seeing as I was there recently for an extended duration and have been considering moving there longer term.

The visas for Thailand have a lower entry point than many other countries, which is nice. However rules and regulation in Thailand (for both visa and otherwise) gave me the impression of frequent change which can be stressful.

The culture seems to have very little hatred of trans people unlike many countries, however the common sentiment seems to be more in line with considering trans people a separate gender at best rather than affirming or denying their gender entirely like in many Western countries. I got the impression most people would happily tolerate you, but most will not see you fully.

In VERY exciting news, HRT is INCREDIBLY easy and affordable to access here, even as a tourist. Buying estrogen, progesterone, and a T-blocker are all available at normal pharmacies without any kind of prescription, doctor involvement, or paperwork. Buying HRT felt about as hard as buying a pack of chewing gum. IIRC trans people even get HRT free if they are citizens!

I experienced quite a bit of people saying "sir" to me which was jarring. I tend to pass fairly well so getting misgendered is very uncommon in most places, however in Thailand I got called "sir" very respectfully (clearly not maliciously) often. I tried to Google it and found some cis women experiencing the same however and the vibe I got from it was it is simply an issue of limited English understanding. However, I haven't been able to confirm that. Regardless, trans women might want to expect it to some extent.

Trans surgeries seem largely available by very skilled surgeons for prices favorable compared to many countries.

Overall I felt very safe and enjoyed the country a lot. Obviously every country has its issues and I have very little understanding compared to people who have actually fully lived there for years and I didn't touch on many important non-trans topics -- however, as a first & extended impression, I found it to definitely be an option worth considering for trans people who might not qualify for some of the more difficult visas to other countries requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars or impressive in-demand careers.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to elaborate more on my visit and observations there any time. :)

What's your plan?

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:48:48 +0000

Have you left the US already? Are you planning to?

What country did you decide on? What visa were you able to obtain?

Personally so far I have been looking closest at the Netherland's Dutch American Friendship Treaty visa (DAFT), Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), and potentially attending language school in Japan which supplies a visa for two years.

I'd love to hear what research you've done and decisions you've made. ^^

Website Feedback / Suggestions

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:40:02 +0000

Please feel free to share any feedback / suggestions regarding TransAbroad.org here. Thanks so much for caring and trying to help <3

Forum Feedback / Suggestions

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:38:36 +0000

Trust me, the forums need A LOT of work and I know it! However, while I toil away I'm kind of going at it blindly. Let me know what matters to you and I'll look into adding what I can and makes sense.

Got a country request for "Trans Life In..."? Post it here!

Have an idea for a new category? My digital ears are open~

Did I typo something embarrassing? Ahhh please tell me 🙀

I can't promise much, but I will be reading and considering all comments!

Hello, I'm the person who made this website/forum!

Umbra — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:32:59 +0000

Hi! So happy you found this place <3

I'm a trans woman who has been on-and-off living in the US. I love to travel always seeking out new experiences, fully embrace the emo/goth scenes (from the fashion to the music and beyond), and absolutely love being an introverted little hermit consuming alarming amounts of books, movies, and video games alike. If you ever want weird obscure trans film recommendations, I'm probably your girl. ^_~

Since Trump took office for the second time I have been getting increasingly worried about trans rights. I fled the country a couple times already with little planning and massive anxieties both hesitantly leading back to the US waiting for things to worsen further.

In my time abroad I've met many other trans people (online and IRL) also looking to escape, to varying degrees of success. It seems like so many of us were/are looking for information on visas, trying to figure out how to leave our worsening home country to better (or at least more stable) futures.

However, while information is out there, it's been exhausting trying to find it all. It's been a bit of a nightmare trying to figure out all the little things that matter so much to trans people but go almost without note entirely by cis people. Things like where we can legally use a restroom, what HRT is available and how difficult it is to obtain, what areas are safe to be queer, what ID we are able to obtain, and what myriad of other challenges face us.

Eventually I realized I probably knew more than many on these subjects having traveled so much and attempting to flee as much as I have so far - I eventually figured I could put some good into the world by making this website and forum!

I hope I can save some of you the headaches I've gone through, keep the trans community safer, and hopefully both get some help organizing/updating information for us while fostering a global trans community so we might be able to make some friends wherever we go - be it as an immigrant or just a traveler.

Thank you for taking the time to read my giant intro and I look forward to meeting you. ^^