I know, I know. In a perfect world I wouldn't ever consider moving there. But I'm in a really complicated predicament here, and I need some specifics from people who are there or used to be there.
I know it's one of the "do not travel" states, but I'm already in the other, Florida. But I think I've gotten really lucky here, bc I'm in the St Pete area, which is queer as fuck.
But onto the situation at hand. I currently live with my two closest friends in the world (They're married). These people are literally the only people I have. And they wanna move to Texas for a series of reasons; Better weather, cheaper housing, his grandparents live there, etc etc. But obviously, it's a very big concern for me. My buddy tried to ease my fears by telling me they saw plenty of clearly trans/queer people while they were visiting, but that doesn't actually say much about how safe it is.
So my question more or less is, when it comes to places you have to show ID or otherwise out yourself, how bad it is down there? I know day to day no one's gonna bother me. I will have had top surgery by the time this move would take place, and I already pass as is. No one's gonna bother me in the grocery store or something. It's getting medical care that scares me. It's getting my ID changed over and my car registered. It's picking up prescription; T included.
They'll obviously see that I'm trans when I go to get my ID changed over, will they be able to deny me because I'm trans? I've heard of some places trying to say being trans is "fraud" and I don't wanna get caught up if that's something Texas actually inforces in some way. Florida already sucks and I'm stuck with a big F on my ID forever, and I know Texas isn't gonna make that situation any better.
And again, I KNOW I shouldn't be considering going there at all. But if the only two people I have in the world are gonna go, what the fuck am I supposed to do? I can't afford to live alone, and I can't lose my only social circle. I feel trapped between two horrible options, and have no idea how to decide.
I can't immediately tell them no just based off fears. I need information. Am I gonna get denied medical care or even be injured or killed by medical professionals over there? Sure, my friends saw trans people there, they're alive, but how bad are their lives actually? That's something they can't tell me. Sure, those people are alive, but what quality of life do they have there? These are the things I need to know.
Any insight on this is appreciated. Please refrain from negative comments, I know how bad a decision this could be, I am so fully aware. But I need information before I make the choice that's right for me.