Queer Survival Guide 2025
2025 has just started, and we are already going through a terrifying timeline where our rights are getting eroded through the current administration.
How can we combat this? How do we survive 2025?
1: Knowledge Is Power
You cannot make a game plan if you don’t know all of the pieces to the puzzle. In 2025, your biggest things to research should be Project 2025 and Agenda 47.
All of this information can also be found in our LinkTree at https://linktr.ee/transvillageproject
You should also save every piece of information you can find on an external hardrive. The link provided here sends you to Amazon to buy a $9.99 waterproof thumb drive that can hold 128GB of data. I am not endorsed by Amazon, nor do I get any money for promoting this. I genuinely believe this is the best thumb drive for what we need.
Save anything important to you existence: Banned books, LGBTQ+ affirmative studies, DIY HRT, studies involving banned words like “female” or “gender identity”, Zines, self defense guides, queer history, or anything else that you feel the current administration may try to remove as a resource.
2: Should You Leave?
This is the hard question. I recommend you make a list of pros and cons for yourself. Ask yourself these questions:
Do I have family here that I care about, and will they be safe if I leave?
Do I have enough money to leave the state ($2k+) or country ($5k+)?
Will I be able to secure a home and income if I move?
Will I be at immediate risk if I do not leave?
Do I know where to go?
Do I have a solid plan so that I do not end up homeless or without support?
If you are prepared and believe that leaving is truly the best option for you, I would recommend starting the process as soon as possible.
More in depth Guides will be coming soon regarding the best states and countries to move to. At the moment, the best we can find are in no particular order:
U.S. States: Washington, Oregon, California, New York, Maine, Delaware, Michigan, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois
Countries: Canada, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Ireland
Make sure to do your own research and see which place is best for you. It is not a one-size-fits-all list. If you are planning to leave, I recommend selling most of your possessions so that you can fit all of your belongings in a few bags, or in your vehicle. Possessions are meaningless if you do not survive. You can always replenish them in the future.
I would also recommend looking into work from home jobs, or making sure you have a job/schooling offer wherever you end up. That makes the process much simpler.
If you are having a hard time finding a place you can rent or buy, look into a long term AirBNB rental. It is more upfront, but you will have a place to go.
Some states like Oregon allow for you to boondock at truck stops for an extended period of time (14 days per spot). If you have a vehicle, this could be an option for you to leave immediately. Make sure you research the law EXTENSIVELY to make sure that camping/boondocking is legal in whatever state you do it in. States like Washington only allow you at one spot for 8 hours at a time, and you have to drive at least 10 miles away to camp again. Save this option as a last resort, but know that it is there.
3. Protect Yourself
Do you have to stay in an unsafe country or state? Now is the time for you to protect yourself.
You must ask yourself: If someone came up behind me with a knife, what would I do?
If you DON’T have an idea, you need to start thinking of one. Consider getting a taser, knife, pepper-spray or other weapons to defend yourself. Practice with whatever you get until you are comfortable with using and handling it.
If you need a self-defense tool, go to our website and put through a transgender resource request.
If you DID have an idea of what you would do, do drills so you are not caught unprepared, and teach another person who may not know as much as you.
Make sure you are in physical shape. We do not shame anyone for their body, but If you are unable to run while being attacked, it makes you a target. It is the responsibility of the able-bodied to be physically capable so that we may protect those that are differently abled. There are moments you may need to run or fight. Be prepared.
There are resources in our Media Library that can help teach self defense.
4. Find Community
Self-sufficiency is a great tool, but we can only survive fascism if we stick together. Look into local LGBTQ+ groups, local mutual aid groups, or political/religious groups that align with you. If you cannot find a local group, consider starting a group. Queer people are everywhere. A community group is ALWAYS needed.
Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and X (Twitter) seem to be the best spots for finding local groups. If you can get into one group, you will likely be able to find another through them. Most large cities have a web of community projects and mutual aid networks.
Build your support system so that you can feel secure where you are.
“Mutual aid projects let us practice meeting our own and each other’s needs, based in shared commitments to dignity, care, and justice. They let us practice coordinating our actions together with the belief that all of us matter and that we should all get to participate in the solutions to our problems. They let us realize that we know best how to address the crises we face.”
― Dean Spade, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis
Remember, we protect us.
