It’s possible to leave the US if you want to

By Artemis T. Douglas

It’s a beautiful, wet morning in Dublin. There’s just enough precipitation to feel like the sky is spitting at me, but it’s not fully raining.

As I start this article, the sun is not quite up. This is not where I’d ever thought I’d be, but I’m loving (most of) it.

More importantly, I am okay- I am safe.

I couldn’t say the same last year, nor could I say this about the version of me that didn’t pull the trigger on the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I won’t talk around it any longer- I wasn’t safe in the United States. My research, my work, were not either.

My research highlights and centers trans women, my journalism is trans focused, and my life is that of an impoverished transsexual woman. By discourse-based “wisdom” I am either lying about being poor, or I am among the only lucky ones and am evil for using that luck to become safe.

The discourse is wrong.

However, today as always, I am not worried about myself. I am worried about my sisters, the dolls of history- and you, the reader of this article- whether or not you consider yourself a doll.

Today, I am uninterested in disproving notions that I am somehow evil for getting out- my colleague Jane already addressed this with her recent opinion piece.

Rather, I am interested in demonstrating that you can get out.

To do so, I talked to another trans woman, Cirice, who got out. I only had two questions for her.

Question 1: What steps did you take to flee the US and immigrate to Thailand?

“I was in a dark place when I finally made the decision to leave.

Trump had just been elected to a second term, and after nearly two decades of participating in local and national politics, devoting my time and money to candidates I hoped could prevent our descent into fascism, I found myself completely exhausted.

My transition had cost me my career due to transmisogynistic bigotry, and I realized I simply couldn't do it anymore. I wish people, particularly cis people, wouldn't cast moral judgment on trans people who choose to flee before they "have to."

So many of us exist at the most precarious edges of society and saw this coming long before anyone else. In my view, it's on cis people to fight this battle.

There aren't enough of us to do it, and we have so little power and influence that staying feels like bleeding out in shark-infested waters. Trans women of color face the greatest risk, and I know some are already here in Thailand.

I'm glad they got out.

My departure was straightforward but emotionally draining: I sold, donated, or disposed of everything I'd accumulated over the years.

Thankfully, most of it was inconsequential, but without long-term storage options or a family home with a basement (it's just me), nearly everything is simply gone now.

When that was done, I decided I'd figure out how to stay abroad after arriving. I was sinking mentally and needed to get out. I don't recommend doing it this way. Plan better than I did.”

Question 2: What advice would you give to people looking to emigrate from the US?

“Don't be afraid. A United States passport is a powerful tool (at least for now).

I know this might feel overwhelming if you've never left the country, even for vacation, but culture shock does pass.

You do adapt. Adjust your expectations. For most foreigners, being here feels like an extended vacation, but you're not on vacation. You're surviving.

Letting go of expectations around American-style convenience is essential to adjusting successfully. Pack light. Trim your wardrobe down to essentials.

This can be difficult if you have a closet full of clothes you love, but you'll appreciate the simplicity.

Research visas thoroughly. Be diligent about acquiring one that suits your situation. You don't want to be stuck border-hopping every 90 days, or worse, forced to return to the US if circumstances shift drastically.”

After our brief interview, I thanked Cirice for her time and got to writing this article.

Worrying about others’ fates is much harder to do when your own is so deeply jeopardized.

I had to sever my life in Denver, run to Dublin, and leave behind almost everyone I’ve ever known to “get out.” Was it hard? Yes. Is it still? Incredibly. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Again, however, it’s not about me. It’s about you, the reader, personally, and my fellow transsexuals, generally.

Not only can you get out, here are some ways I’ve researched doing so. These are ordered from what seems to be the most expensive or onerous to what seems to be the least.

Editor’s Note: Do your own research. This article and the opinions therein are not intended to be legal, financial, or immigration advice. At The Needle, we want you to have the information and context to make whatever choices you want to make, but we unfortunately can’t make them for you, nor tell you what is best for your situation.

Graduate school.

Getting out by going to school can help with paths to long-term residency or citizenship, and schools often have resources for international students to adjust to life in their new country.

Many countries have student visas. However, in most cases, they don’t offer a direct path to long-term residency or citizenship by naturalization- often requiring you to re-qualify after graduation to stay in the country under a new visa type.

There is a notable exception I am aware of, however - Ireland.

As currently set up, Ireland allows US Citizens to enter the country without a visa. If you want to stay in Ireland and not be a tourist, you have to have a reason seen as legitimate. This is pretty standard.

What is less standard is Ireland’s third-level graduate program.

This is a provision that immediately upon graduation from a recognized program from a recognized, accredited college, you can convert your student immigration permission (Stamp 2) to a graduate permission (Stamp 1G) for up to twelve months.

Stamp 1G lets you work full-time in Ireland without a work permit, which means that you can find a job and have a road to Stamp 1 (via employer sponsorship) or other longer-term stamps such as Stamp 4 (for permanent residence).

If you graduated from a master’s degree or higher, then your stamp 1G can potentially be renewed for another 12 months. That’s 1 year in school, and up to two years after without work restrictions. That’s being out for 3 years, 2 of which could count towards the naturalization process.

And Ireland only requires 5 years of the right kinds of legal residence (Stamp 1 and Stamp 1G are currently on that list) to become potentially eligible for naturalization.

The biggest trade-off with this route is the cost and barrier to entry.

1. You have to get into graduate school, and Ireland’s schools can be picky.
2. You would need travel expenses and access to 10k euros in savings upon arrival, or other proof of financial support. You would also need to cover tuition.
3. You would have to find housing in a country in the midst of a housing crisis.

Let me break down each.

Getting into grad school!

Getting into grad school is kind of like a job application. You need transcripts and possibly letters of reference, but you also need to show why it’s a mutual fit. This is where your personal statement and research interest materials come into play.

There are lots of guides on this, which I will link below.

Guide 1, Guide 2, Guide 3 (and there are others, do your research).

Travel expenses and tuition.

This is, to be clear, a high barrier. But it is not an impossible barrier. Many universities in Ireland, such as Dublin City University and University College Dublin accept US Federal Aid. At the graduate level, that means you can possibly use the student loans guaranteed to all US citizens, even for grad school, to cover your tuition.

You can also crowdfund, or apply for scholarships.

I did all of the above. I only got a small scholarship, so I crowdfunded my moving and relocation expenses, and used student loans for my tuition. This is possible, but in my case it took about 9 months to crowdfund as much as I needed.

In some cases, you may be able to get proof that you’re getting student loans as your proof of financial support to meet the 10k euro in savings barrier to entry.

Finding housing?

If my experience tells me anything, it is that this one is going to suck.

But it’s not impossible.

There are sites such as Hosting Power that allow you to preview and book housing from certified hosts for specified dates. You pay a nominal fee, and you have a contract.

I set up a hosting power housing agreement for 3 months before I arrived, then I looked for housing during that 3 months, and found a 1 year lease.

I could’ve theoretically stayed in my initial housing through an extension, but that didn’t work out largely because I have a service animal and the laws on that are very different here in Ireland.

The short version is, if you do your research and start applying for schools and scholarships while crowdfunding, you could possibly replicate what I did to get out of the US.

To be fair, what I did was the hard, expensive way. I wanted to continue my research and my work. Graduate school was the best path for that, and Ireland was the best place for me to do graduate school.

Digital Nomad Visas

Some of these have paths to long-term residency, some don’t. But if you work freelance or on commissions, sell your own art or creative work, or have a job that can be done truly remotely, this is viable.

The short version is there are a ton of countries with various “Digital Nomad” visas that can be used if you qualify. Do your research on length of stay, renewability, and financial barriers to entry, such as provable income and/or amount of savings in your name.

Read more here: 73 Digital Nomad Visa Countries | Citizen Remote

Thailand as a Digital Nomad

For trans women especially, Thailand is a quite attractive option. They have a 5 year digital nomad visa - the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) and other pathways.

HRT is over the counter in Thailand and Thailand’s gender surgeons are the best in the world for trans women, generally speaking.

Thailand is also incredibly safe and several transsexual women I know are much happier there.

If you want to get out via Thailand’s digital nomad visa, I know of several women who have done so. They hired Thai lawyers such as the ones at Siam Legal.

The basics are:

You need proof of income or remote employment. This can be selling creative works on itch.io, freelancing, more traditional remote employment, or something along those lines.

You may also need to commit to engaging in Thai “soft power” or cultural activities, such as taking a Thai language course, learning Muay Thai, or learning traditional Thai culinary skills.

Finally, you need about 500,000 THB in the bank when you apply. That’s about 17k USD (unless the USD continues to crater). That’s a lot of money, but it’s also money you can use to live off of once you’re out. So, crowdfund if you need to!

Research the Thai cost of living and you’ll see an idea of how long you’d be okay on that savings to get out- especially if you also have your remote income from selling creative works or otherwise.

I know several transsexuals who have gotten out this way.

Thailand as an English language teacher

This one is the cheapest and is a path to working in Thailand, rather than depending on selling your work to someone outside Thailand.

To teach English as a foreign language, you generally need some sort of qualification, usually a TEFL cert. If you have a Bachelor’s degree, I found a program that will help you get that certification, and find a teaching job in Thailand. The cost is quite low.

I don’t personally know any transsexuals who have gotten out this way, but it may still be viable.

If you don’t have a Bachelor’s degree, you can still get TEFL certified and teach English online as a tutor or teacher, which would open up those digital nomad options mentioned above.

While there are a lot of paid TEFL classes to get certified, I found this free one that worked for at least one woman I know.

Other ways!

This article is not an exhaustive list of ways out. I am sharing the ways I personally know of to get out. There are more ways than this, and more resources than I am sharing here. Do your research.

Trans Rescue has information and resources to help you plan, as well.

There are resources out there. Talk to your community. Don’t telegraph your plans publicly, but work with those you can trust.

If you want out, I have faith that you can find a way that works for you. It may not be ideal. It probably will suck for a while.

But if you’ve read this far, you’re probably already considering whether leaving would be safer, and the short answer is: it can be.

Every trans woman who gets out of the US or UK is a victory, not a betrayal.