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Some LGBTQ+ Americans leave U.S. after Trump's election

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DAFT visa makes Netherlands a destination of choice

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Queer, abroad - and finally free of fear

By Ingrid Gercama

AMSTERDAM, Aug 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - It had

been months since Alex and Lucy, a trans couple from Arizona,

felt safe enough to hold hands in public. They rediscovered that

pleasure after moving to Amsterdam this year.

The couple, who did not want to give their last names

because of the sensitivity of the subject, decided to leave the

United States soon after Donald Trump was re-elected last year.

They arrived in the Netherlands on Jan. 19, the day before

Trump was inaugurated and swiftly issued an executive order

saying the government would only recognise two sexes - male and

female.

"We're both visibly trans and faced growing discrimination.

It ramped up right after the election," said Lucy, sitting

alongside Alex in their De Pijp apartment in Amsterdam's south.

"It felt like people had taken off their masks - waiting for

an excuse to finally say what they wanted. We went from being

tolerated to openly despised," she added.

Alex, who is disabled, feared staying put might also

mean losing access to their federal health insurance.

"In the end, it became a matter of life and death," Alex

said.

In his first six months in office, Trump has enacted

multiple policies affecting the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans in

areas from healthcare to legal recognition and education.

In the face of this rollback of rights, some LGBTQ+ people

have voted with their feet.

While there is little official data, LGBTQ+ people and

activists told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that many people

head to Portugal and Spain, while Costa Rica and Mexico are also

popular destinations, alongside France and Thailand.

The Netherlands stands out, though, for its strong legal

protections, its record on LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and due to

a Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) and its affiliated

visa.

DAFT - established as a 1956 act of Cold War cooperation -

enables U.S. citizens to live and work in the Netherlands if

they start a small business investing at least 4,500 euro

($5,200), can secure Dutch housing, and are able to prove they

have enough money to live on.

The permit is valid for two years and can be renewed.

"Europe was always on the cards, but the Netherlands had a

really high percentage of queer folks, and we knew people here

(who) were trans and happy," said Lucy, who got a DAFT visa.

'NUMBERS INCREASING'

While the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)

does not keep statistics on the sexual orientation or gender

identity of DAFT applicants, overall applications have increased

since 2016, with January 2025 registering the highest number of

any single month on record - 80.

"The numbers are increasing. We don't know why," said

Gerard Spierenburg, IND spokesperson.

Immigration lawyers also report an increase.

"From the day after the election, my inbox began filling up

with requests of U.S. citizens wanting to move to the

Netherlands," said lawyer Jeremy Bierbach, adding that about a

fifth came from the LGBTQ+ community.

Three other lawyers in Amsterdam confirmed the trend in

interviews with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Jack Mercury, a trans adult performer from California, moved

to Amsterdam almost a year and a half ago - "literally the

moment I knew Trump was going to be re-elected".

He said the DAFT visa was "one of the few financially

accessible visas" for him.

He now lives in west Amsterdam with a partner and two cats.

"The words to describe the U.S. in the last 100 days are

uncertainty and fear. For trans people, it's fear that they'll

lose access to healthcare, rights like housing or the ability to

work. And for gay people and lesbians, it's that they will

become the next targets," Mercury said.

This year, more than 950 anti-trans bills were introduced in

U.S. state legislatures, according to the Trans Legislation

Tracker, of which 120 have passed, 647 failed, and 186 are still

under consideration.

"I feel very lucky. I know many people who cannot afford to

move, because they're not high earners, they are sick, have

family or children," said Mercury.

His friend Topher Gross, a trans hair stylist from New York

who has been in Amsterdam for four years, offered housing tips

and recommended a lawyer.

"Everyone's exploring any possible way to get out," said

Gross. "But not everyone can - many trans people of colour can't

afford to leave. It's terrifying."

He noted that the climate of fear was exacerbated by

deportations under Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"Basic rights are being stripped away."

Jess Drucker, an LGBTQ+ relocation expert with U.S.-based

Rainbow Relocation, said many U.S. clients choose to go Dutch.

"People see how quickly rights can erode, with the global

rise of right-wing extremism, and want to move somewhere where

those rights are more likely to hold," Drucker said.

"We've seen a major increase in requests for consultations.

We are absolutely full."

Because not everyone can afford a DAFT visa, the Dutch NGO

LGBT Asylum Support is urging the government to consider asylum

options for LGBTQ+ Americans.

Spokesperson Sandro Kortekaas said about 50 trans Americans

had contacted the group since Trump's inauguration.

In June, the group asked the government to reassess the

status of the United States as a safe country for queer asylum

seekers. However, Bierbach does not expect success as such a

shift would be seen "as a provocation towards the U.S."

Spierenburg from the IND said there had been more asylum

applications from the United States this year than last,

although the numbers were still low - 33 against 9 in 2024.

Lucy and Alex are grateful for their new life.

"When I came here, I felt more at home than I ever did. I

have so much hope," said Lucy.

But she does worry that a future Dutch administration

- a right-wing coalition collapsed in June - could kill

off DAFT.

"I'm really concerned that the treaty is going to be damaged

by current political agendas. And so I'm doing everything I can

to make sure that I stay within the rules. I don't want to be

extradited for any reason."

($1 = 0.8712 euros)

(Reporting by Ingrid Gercama; Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and

Clar Ni Chonghaile. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the

charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit https://context.news/)