Project Open Arms is a grassroots resettlement project of TRACTION started in 2023 in response to the alarming increase in anti-trans legislation and rhetoric across the country. Hundreds of thousands of Two-Spirit, transgender, nonbinary, gender-diverse, and gender-nonconforming (trans+) people and their families are seeking to escape legislative persecution and violence. The Pacific Northwest has long been a destination for such folk, and we expect an increase in the number of migrating people and families over the next decade.
Our goal then and now is to support U.S. red state “transplants” – trans+ people and their families – seeking safer, more welcoming places to live.
How it works
- Submit the Request for Assistance Form.
- Check your email. You’ll receive confirmation of your application and be invited to schedule a 20-minute Intake appointment. Calls are conducted via Google Meet unless you request something different. (We’re flexible!)
- After your intake, you’ll be connected to a peer navigator who will work with you throughout your resettlement. You may also be invited to join our Discord server.
- Depending on your goals, you may at some point be asked to complete a background check or provide certain information (such as a photo ID or your full legal name). This is always voluntary, but may determine our ability to assist. We’ll never ask for anything we don’t need to directly help you.
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
Let Us Help!
Thanks for your interest in Project Open Arms. Due to an overwhelming response, we have paused inquiries for the remainder of 2024 so that we can work to serve those who have already been in touch. Requests for help with relocation planning will resume in early 2025.
If you previously sent an inquiry and received a confirmation receipt, rest assured that you are still in the queue. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible. The current wait for an appointment is approximately 90-120 days.
We have deep connections to trans-affirming resources in Western Washington, where we are based, and the Pacific Northwest more broadly. We’re working to build a nationwide network of groups doing similar work in other states. Our staff and volunteer team of trans+ activists and allies has been working in trans+ and queer+ spaces for more than three decades.
We cannot currently offer financial support.
We can help you navigate the relocation process, including finding community connections, employment opportunities, gender-affirming healthcare, and more.
How to Help
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer Here
OFFER HOUSING OR RIDES
PNW Couch & Ride Network.
Join the PNW Couch & Ride Network
Clicking this link leaves the TRACTION website.
PNW Couch & Ride Network is a trusted community partner. TRACTION does not manage or monitor the network, its data, or those who participate.
OFFER RESOURCES
JOIN PROJECT OPEN ARMS
Beyond the Pacific Northwest? Check out InReach’s national directory of verified services for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.
(Clicking the link will take you to another website.)
“Nearly half of transgender people surveyed have moved or are considering moving to more trans-affirming places.”
— The Williams Institute, The Impact of Anti-Transgender Policy and Public Opinion on Travel and Relocation, May 2025
“The scale of this issue remained under wraps until a recent Data For Progress survey brought to light the unsettling reality: hundreds of thousands of transgender people have already left their home states, and more than a million are considering a similar course of action in the coming months.”
—Erin Reed, Erin in the Morning, June 2023
You can also help by sharing this site and telling your peers!