Florida couple moving to Minnesota due to newly-passed Trans Refuge Bill
A couple in Florida says they're moving more than 1,000 miles so they can build a better life in Minnesota.
It's becoming a growing trend for members of the LGBTQ community.
"[My husband] Tony and I want to start a family," said Lydia Prettyman, a transgender woman from Pensacola, Florida. "We want to have kids."
Prettyman says the culture and political climate in Florida have made it time for a change.
"When I worked at a hotel, I was threatened with violence," Lydia said. "Now that I work at a bank, I've had clients refuse to sit with me because I am transgender, visibly. They see that and don't want to show basic respect."
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The Prettymans will move to Burnsville in a few weeks. Part of their reason for choosing Minnesota is that Tony has family in the metro, but it's also because of the legal protections Minnesota passed this year, namely its "Trans Refuge" bill.
The bill protects access to gender-affirming healthcare, and Lydia intends to have surgery here.
When he signed the bill, Gov. Tim Walz said, "We're not going to allow people to be told they don't belong."
"That is the most exciting element of it, for my wife to be able to be her true and entire self in public, at work and get the respect that she does deserve," Tony said.
Andi Otto, the executive director of Twin Cities Pride and a transgender man, says he gets 10 to 20 calls a day from LGBTQ families interested in moving to Minnesota.
"Right now, we're one of the only states to really push the care and have the [large] amount of clinics and doctors around," Andi said.
Minnesota Republicans have called the "Trans Refuge" bill "extreme" and say it puts children at risk.
The Prettymans say the legislation gives them hope.
"I'm just really looking forward to being a citizen of Minnesota," Lydia said.
Andi Otto says the best ways to be an ally are to speak up when others try to knock down the community, and to simply be welcoming.
NOTE: The attached video first aired on April 27, 2023.
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