In an interview with Vice, 50-year-old Rynn Azerial Willgohs explains how he founded TRANSport, a non-profit created to finance medical transitions, help “navigate bureaucratic mazes,” and ultimately pay for transpersons to “flee” the U.S. to other countries deemed more inclusive.
Willgohs, a biological man who identifies as a woman, explains that he started this non-profit because he no longer feels safe living in the United States as a trans woman:
“Rynn Azerial Willgohs, a 50-year-old transgender woman, has been rapidly researching ways to flee the United States. She’s [sic] from the U.S., but with physical attacks against transgender and nonbinary people on the rise and lawmakers targeting transgender people with increasingly draconian legislation that criminalizes their very existence, Willgohs is worried.”
VICE
Willgohs, a U.S.-born citizen and resident of North Dakota, told Vice that the growing number of laws restricting surgical and medical treatments for “transgender” individuals makes him feel “targeted” by lawmakers. Vice specifically calls the legislation, (designed to protect children from early and irreversible medical transitions before the age of consent) “draconian legislation” that “criminalizes [transgender people’s] very existence.”
Trans activists claim that transgender individuals are disproportionally the victims of physical attacks in the United States because of their identity. The article from Vice went so far as to imply that there is an anti-trans movement in the U.S. that is akin to genocide.
“There’s like 30 states right now I wouldn’t even drive through,” Willgohs said to Vice.
Vice states that there is a “dramatic uptick in anti-trans hate” in the country, and they cite the fact that last year more than 171 anti-trans bills were introduced. But they fail to define the term “anti-trans.” If a state bans a twelve-year-old from being allowed to medically transition until they are 18, a reasonable law most Americans would agree with, that would be considered “anti-trans” by activists.
Willgohs also complained about trans people being accused of “being a social contagion.” But this is likely to be true. The trans movement happening across the country is largely influenced by the pressure of activists pushing their beliefs in the news, media, and schools.
Willgohs’ belief that the United States is a dangerous place for trans individuals, and that they need to seek “asylum,” is rooted in privilege and a lack of appreciation for the freedoms of this country. How would Willgohs feel as a trans individual if he lived in Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, etc? Willgohs acts as though he will be physically attacked if he stays in this country, but that is not the case. No “anti trans” laws being passed are likely to have an effect on his life; a majority of anti-trans laws are designed to protect children. Willgohs, and trans individuals like him, have created a false perception of what this country is and the freedom that it promises.
