– When our daughter came out as transgender, we quickly realized that we had to leave here. It’s not safe, says American Rachel Raum to Thomas Seltzer in the third season of UXA. The Raum family, consisting of mother Rachel, father Doug and four children, moved to Florida with the hope of a better future. Florida is a fun place, they thought. The short distance to Disney World was one of the reasons why the family wanted to go there. WANTING TO MOVE: Rachel and Doug Raum are worried about the mental health of their daughter in Florida. Now they want to move. Photo: Halvor Haugen / news But when daughter Lyenna came out as transgender, suddenly the sunny state wasn’t so funny anymore. Recently, a federal court cleared the way for the state to make it illegal for minors to be prescribed puberty blockers and hormone therapy, even with their parents’ permission. – I worry a lot about her mental health. It can’t be right when the state tries to erase her existence, says mother Rachel. Collecting money to “escape” In recent years, Florida has introduced a number of laws that many believe make it difficult to live fully as a transgender. – The laws create an environment where people who normally don’t care suddenly think: “We don’t like these people”. It creates room for some people not to be welcome, says father in the family, Doug Raum. A timeline of Florida and LGBTQ+ In 2019, Republican Ron DeSantis becomes governor of the state of Florida. He is a Republican, and pursues a conservative policy. Photo: GIORGIO VIERA / AFP This year, the state of Florida, under DeSanti’s leadership, passes a law that prevents transgender people and trans women from participating in women’s sports in schools. DeSantis signs a law that prohibits the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation to children. The law is called “Don’t Say Gay”. The ban applies to both kindergarten and primary school, up to and including the third grade. In addition, DeSantis signs five more laws, which, among other things, limit the right to gender reassignment treatment for minors, restrictions on using the toilet of the gender one identifies with and a ban on bringing children to performances with “Drag queens”. At this time, some of the key points in “Don’t Say Gay” withdrawn. The governor agrees to reinstate the students’ and teachers’ right to speak freely in the classroom about LGBTQ+ people, families and issues related to being queer. In addition, the ban on reading books or watching productions of musicals and plays with LGBTQ+ characters is lifted. Photo: OCTAVIO JONES / Reuters A federal court is clearing the way for Florida to make it illegal for minors to be prescribed puberty blockers and hormonal treatment, even with their parents’ permission. Show more Now the family wants out of Florida, and they are not alone. On the donation website GoFundMe, there are a number of individuals and families within the LGBTQ+ movement who are applying for financial support to move to another state. A survey by KFF/Washington Post shows that one in four transgender people have moved to places that have a more accepting policy towards transgender people. – To call this a new class for refugees is not an exaggeration, says Abbie Goldberg, who is director of women’s and gender studies at Clark University, and has for a number of years mapped LGBTQ+ families in the USA, to rollingstone.com. Settlement with Woke According to Eirik Løkke, advisor at Civita, there are several reasons why Florida has become one of the states with the strongest opposition to trans rights. – Ron DeSantis has made it a matter of struggle to make a settlement with the woke movement. When DeSantis was re-elected as governor in 2022, he said, among other things, in his victory speech that “Florida is where woke goes to die”. – He has capitalized on the resistance that already exists in the ongoing culture war. With both Trump and the MAGA movement as important supporters, says Løkke. THE FUTURE OF THE USA: The debate around trans rights tells us that there is an ongoing battle between progressive forces versus more traditional attitudes about what the USA should be, says Eirik Løkke. Photo: Hanna Johre / news The debate surrounding the rights of trans people has become one of the most important issues in the United States. – What is the reason for that? – It is because this is something that occupies a great many Americans. It is a topic that goes straight into the culture war, along with the debates around weapons, abortion and religion. It therefore fills people with strong emotions, answers Løkke. Activism with setbacks But what is it about transgender rights that arouses such strong feelings in the world’s largest democracy? Løkke points to the strong activism among transgender people, and the way in which they have promoted their rights. For example, he points out that many feel that trans activists have helped push radical gender ideology into schools in the United States. – When the activists “push” so hard that there are more than two sexes, it leads to a violent backlash, he says. GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: Republican Ron DeSantis has been governor of Florida since 2019 and pursues a conservative policy. Photo: GIORGIO VIERA / AFP But Løkke clarifies that it is one thing to disagree if there are more than two sexes, and another to agree to disagree. – It is important to distinguish Trump’s and his supporters’ derogatory mention of trans people from the legitimate concern that many Americans have, including people on the left, when it comes to the demands the trans movement brings. – But now it is the case that many transgender people in Florida do not feel cared for, either medically or as part of society – what does that tell us? – It is an expression of how they feel in Florida, and how legislation and rhetoric from the right leads to them not feeling welcome. Feeling isolated The Raum family has also created a separate fundraising page to raise enough money to move out of Florida. They want to move to Massachusetts. A place where they have family, and the state pursues a policy that is more in line with the view of the small family. Løkke describes a USA that is heading towards social segregation. – More and more people are getting married, settling down and creating leisure activities with people they agree with. It reflects a society that is not good for democracy, says Løkke. For daughter Lyenna Raum, who does not want to reveal her full identity, the consequence of staying in Florida is that she feels isolated. – It is difficult to be myself in Florida. I have friends who know who I am, but I can’t be myself in public. She avoids contact with people at school as much as possible. – I have no friends at school, and I don’t feel that I can do anything in particular or join in anything, she says. Learn more about the Raum family and the MAGA movement in Florida in UXA on news TV. Published 09.10.2024, at 13.25 Updated 10/10/2024, at 10.12
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“Forced” to move out of Florida because of identity – news Culture and entertainment
