The constant anti-trans rhetoric in the United States had exhausted and demoralized me. Immediately after the election, I began exploring the logistics of leaving the United States. It’s not just me. Transgender people have been advised to move from red states to blue if they want to and can, or even to leave the country.

Leaving the country requires a valid passport, and I feared the new administration would change the requirements. During his candidacy, President Trump advocated an end to “the left-wing gender insanity,” including a promise to ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the U.S. government are male and female, as assigned at birth.

In response, transgender people were advised to update their legal documents to reflect their gender identity while they still could. (Some transgender persons never updated a passport because it was obtained only after transitioning.) At the time, the choices of gender markers on passports were “M”, “F” or “X.” Unfortunately, even updated documents may not provide permanent protection, and may even have unintended, dark consequences.