The United States currently sits on a wide spectrum of tolerance when it comes to queer and trans people. While bigotry exists in pockets of every region, it feels much more pronounced in some circles and regions.
In Florida, a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill formed in 2022, banning references to sexual orientation or gender identity in K-3 classroom curriculum. Since then, its effects have rippled through communities in scary ways. And so, some families choose to leave their homes and the lives they’ve been building in order to protect their children.
Eli, a 10-year-old transgender child, and her family recently relocated to New York City. In Florida, they often felt incredibly isolated despite having access to queer-affirming spaces. “There were groups of [parents of transgender kids], but it felt like everybody was afraid and in hiding,” says Eli’s mother, Rebeca, who asked to withhold her family’s last name due to security concerns.
Given the circumstances, Eli struggled academically, and the increasing anti-transgender rhetoric in schools only worsened her challenges after several incidents of discrimination, her mother explains. The “Don’t Say Gay” bill was only one of several intensifying anti-LGBTQ policies in the state and across the country that directly impacted transgender and queer students.
