LGBTQ+ Americans bracing for Trump's takeover

• Discussions of election-related topics for those contacting crisis services increased by nearly 5,200% compared to averages before Nov. 5.
• More than 40% of those who reached out to The Trevor Project were transgender or nonbinary. A third of crisis contacts identified as BIPOC LGBTQ+ young people.

The big picture: Trans Americans are increasingly a target of the red agenda.

• Throughout the campaign cycle, Trump and his allies consistently railed against "woke gender ideology" and trans Americans now fear an equitable reality will be pushed farther away.
• If implemented as part of the Trump agenda, the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 is rife with proposals to erase protections for LGBTQ+ people, including slashing federal funding for gender-affirming care, banning trans Americans from military service and curtailing safeguards protecting them from workplace discrimination.

The latest: House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he will ban transgender individuals from accessing all single-sex facilities, like restrooms and changing rooms, on the House side of the U.S. Capitol.

• The move restricts Representative-elect Sarah McBride, soon to be the first transgender member of Congress, from accessing women's bathrooms — a barrier trans people across the country face.
• A wave of legislation targeting gender-affirming care for minors — and in some cases, for adults — has swept through the country in recent years. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 39.4% of transgender youth live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care.
• Trump has said he plans to ask Congress to pass legislation saying there are only two genders — and that they are assigned at birth.

What they're saying: "There are many challenges that may lie ahead, but we should all remember to ground ourselves in the reality that this isn't new for the LGBTQ+ community," said Zach Eisenstein, the Trevor Project's director of communications.

• He continued: "Throughout our history, our community has had to fight for our rights — we have had to fight uphill, and we will continue to do so ... no matter who makes up our government."

Ash Lazarus Orr, the press relations manager for Advocates for Trans Equality, filed for a legal name change the day after the election in part over concerns that being able to do so may soon be restricted under the Trump administration.

• "Simply living as trans people right now is a major act of resistance," Orr told Axios.
• Orr said trans people who want to legally change their name or update their gender marker on identification forms should consider doing so as soon as possible, though the quagmire of state laws can make navigating name changes difficult for trans and nonbinary Americans.
• "Obtaining such documentation may become more difficult in the future — Trump could, for instance, leverage laws like the Real ID Act to push for bans on correct gender markers on driver's licenses," transgender rights activist and journalist Erin Reed writes.

Zoom out: Orr is not alone in his sprint to prepare for possible restrictions under a red takeover.

• "We are starting to see ... an increase in folks who are looking to change their name, update their gender markers, we're having conversations with our healthcare professionals to make sure that we can still access our gender-affirming care," Orr said.
• For some, the solution is to move to sanctuary states with fewer restrictions. But for many that's a steep price to pay.

Mariah Moore, the Transgender Law Center's director of policy and programs, said this "is a time where we can't take anything lightly." She told Axios she's considered moving out of red Louisiana — but she's decided to stay put in New Orleans.

• "[Trump has] given us his roadmap," she said. "We are at the top of the list, and so folks should really heed his message."

State of play: Moore said now is a time for LGBTQ+ Americans to create a plan and know their rights — and if able, seek legal advice. It's also critical, Moore added, for people to turn to their support systems.

• "Care is our legacy," she said. "It's what we've always leaned into to get through hard times."

Orr believes fear of trans people can be rooted in a lack of knowledge that is oft manipulated by "anti-trans extremists" in an attempt "to stoke fear and distrust of a community that many people just don't understand."

• "The truth is we are your friends, we are your family, we are your neighbors ... we want to live and thrive just like everyone else," Orr said.

Go deeper: LGBTQ+ officeholders nearly triple since 2017, report finds

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Ayuda disponible en español.

The Trevor Project's 24/7 crisis services are available here.