‘Trans Migration’: Amid Attacks on Gender-Affirming Care, Trans People are Traveling Long Distances to Access Services

The LGBTQ+ community’s access to gender-affirming care is only becoming more precarious with the political precedent currently being set by president Trump. In January, Trump signed an executive order calling for governmental agencies to ensure that medical institutions receiving any federal research or education grants “end the chemical and surgical mutilation” of people under 19. The order has not been officially implemented, with multiple lawsuits having been filed against the Trump administration to block enforcement, but many healthcare providers in both New York and Pennsylvania have already scaled back their gender-affirming care services as a preemptive measure. As a result, the LGBTQ+ community is witnessing an influx in what could be referred to as “trans migration,” in which trans people are having to travel greater distances — other cities, counties and even entirely new states to access life-saving healthcare.To explore this increasingly important issue of trans migration, Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim spoke with Corinne Goodwin, Executive Director of the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, and Charlie Solidum, Director of Programs and Services at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Center.