Perspective of Duluth's Trans Community under Trump Administration
This article was originally published in the April print edition of The Bark, distributed at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.
Trans Northland logo
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, 112 executive orders have been signed. Some of these executive orders have taken major effects on minority groups in America. Transgender people all across America have voiced their fears and concerns about the effects these orders have on their lives.
On April 28, 2023, Minnesota House of Representatives established a new law that made Minnesota a “Trans Refuge” state. Even with this law that prevents things like out-of-state laws from interfering from the practice of gender-affirming health care, transgender Minnesotans are scared about their rights and lives.
“I think it's a pretty big deal. I’m definitely very fearful, very anxious. I was horrified is a good way to put it, of what's going on, and I’m very very worried about my safety and the safety of every trans person in the United States,” UMD student Castiel Demriti, he/they, said.
Ashton Barsoom, he/they, originally from Omaha, NE, has been living in Duluth for 2 years and finds it more progressive here than in Omaha. “I still have things that before I was transitioning I was afraid of doing, because I didn’t want to get attacked. Because I have gotten attacked on the street before,” he said. “I was basically taught that I wasn’t allowed to exist. So it was very very female gender conforming until I moved here and I learned “‘Hey I’m allowed to exist as a guy.’”
Barsoom found it freeing to transition once they lived in Minnesota. “Once I did transition it's like walking on a broken leg for 20 years, and then finally getting your leg fixed and you’re like ‘Is this what normal people feel like?’”
“It's a combination between anger and complete and total fear,” Barsoom said of transgender issues being highly debated across the country under the Trump Administration.
Randy Miller, he/they, identifies as gender-queer. They are currently a math teacher and have been living in Duluth for around 3 years. Miller elaborated on the hypocrisy of taking transgender people out of sports.
“Have sports ever been fair and balanced? No they are about one side decimating the other, and same thing with the army, you have good people serving in the army. What does that (being transgender) matter? If they're doing a good job and they have a good heart, what does it matter?”
Sean Hayes, he/him, is the co-founder and Executive Director at Trans Northland. He has been living in Duluth for 30 years. He was a part of a small group of people who started Transplus in 2015 in the basement of the Building for Women in downtown Duluth. Transplus was rebranded in 2022 to Trans Northland.
“I was not surprised or shocked when Trump won the election, and I have not been surprised by the executive orders and policy changes and all, you know, all of the stuff that he’s doing. I think if anything, what has been surprising has been the quickness of it,” Hayes said.
“Those first two weeks, waking up to some new EO (executive order) that ultimately just causes so much fear with so many people … There’s such a huge collective fear around us, right? And especially folks, I think, in more conservative states, like our neighbors in Superior … There’s lots of folks who come to our support group who live over there.”
Many trans Minnesotans feel safe and protected by living here.
“I feel so much safer in Minnesota, I feel like I can’t leave,” Barsoom said.
“I feel better at least a little bit better knowing that I’m in Minnesota, and knowing that I’m in one of the only or very few safeish states in the United States, I’m definitely glad for our governor and I hope he stays our governor for a very very long time,” Demriti said.
“I personally do feel a little bit safer knowing we have people like Liish Kozlowski, who is from Duluth, down at the capital advocating for queer and trans folks … our governor has come out and shared like posts about, ‘We’ll always protect trans kids,’ We’ve got our folks fighting for those things, that does give us a reason to feel safer here.
Transgender people from all around the country have been reporting issues about passports and IDs not being given or having information changed about them. Twin Ports residents have been discussing these issues too. “The folks asking questions about IDs and passports and things like that in the group, depending on if they’re in Superior or Duluth, there’s very different answers or lack of answers, I think, for folks in Wisconsin. Like, we just don’t know a lot,” Hayes said.
To support the Duluth trans community, community members can help plan activities, shows and performances for Trans Joy Fest, happening on June 8 and put on by Trans Northland. On the legislative front, community members can call or write to state senators using scripts from organizations like Gender Justice and Out Front Minnesota.
Trans Northland aims to support their community and help them feel safe. “It’s a circus up there. And I want to make sure things here are going to be a circus at least a fun circus with joy and hope and support and care. Like, we’ll create our own queer circus,” Hayes said.