Amid anti-trans legislation, Muncie’s transgender community is facing growing uncertainty

For Muncie local River Feeney, high school felt like “the end of the world.”

“I came out very publicly as non-binary to my teachers and my peers [and] got a lot of pushback from that in terms of being a 16-year-old kid,” he said.

Though he no longer experiences pushback in his day-to-day life due to his gender identity, he still holds some concerns and fears like he did at 16. Long before election day 2024, he and his mom have regularly discussed what “the thing” would be to make them both move out of Indiana.

“For us both, it’s losing access to my healthcare … There are a lot of rumblings around healthcare being restricted for trans adults. I’m on the list for a hysterectomy and would love to get that done before I can’t,” he said.

The uncertainty of the next few years because of Trump and Braun administration policies is affecting Feeney and other transgender Muncie community members in unique ways.

“It’s hard to have any kind of optimism right now,” Feeney said.

On March 4, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed two executive orders aimed at “extreme gender ideology,” recognizing only two genders, male and female, in the state. Additionally, he signed an order barring the participation of transgender people in women’s sports. According to Indiana Capital Chronicle, when asked if Hoosiers can still petition a judge to change the gender on their birth certificate, Braun said, “That would probably have to be determined by the courts.”

This order is similar to one signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office Jan. 20. Trump has “dramatically” reversed the policies established in President Joe Biden’s administration, according to the Associated Press (AP). The administration has issued numerous anti-trans orders, resulting in requests for passport gender markers being denied, defunding gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth and barring schools from helping students transition socially.

Last year, an Indiana federal appeals court ruled that a law barring puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors could be enforced, and the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals validated that ruling later the same year. It had previously been put on hold in June 2023, weeks before it was to take effect, according to AP.

Currently, at least 10 lawsuits have been taken up against the Trump administration’s anti-trans policies so far, with four resulting in temporary restraining orders that pause enforcement, according to Glaad Law and ACLU.

Paige Hendricks, a 60-year-old trans woman, has lived in Indiana since 2009, experiencing several different administrations in the state and presidencies nationwide. Because of this ebb-and-flow, she “doesn’t necessarily know who to believe” when it comes time to cast her ballot.

“[Republicans have] been so active in all the anti-trans legislation and everything, and it’s enough to wear on you where you’re just like, ‘Dear God, what’s next? Why can’t they just leave us alone?’” Hendricks said. “I don’t know what’s coming, and I hate that. I like to have the security of knowing that I’m accepted.”

Hendricks said she’s afraid that potential legislation could affect her job and access to insurance. She said while her company is very accepting and diverse, she’d be unsure how they’d work with certain executive orders or laws like a bathroom ban.

After the 2022 Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ club shooting, which took place on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Hendricks said she was met with “a wave of nightmares” affecting her sleep at night. She said she’s grateful that about 75 percent of people in Muncie are accepting but are ultimately misinformed on how to show their support.

“People tell me, ‘Oh, I’ve got your back. I support you, but we’re still voting Republican.’ That’s kind of like, ‘Really, you got my back, huh? Well, you want to do me a favor and pull that knife out of it?’” she said. “… I’m trying to stay positive, but it just seems to be getting increasingly more difficult to do.”

Muncie community member Charlize Jamieson said people “fear things that we don’t understand,” citing a lot of the anger, confusion and misguided approach to transgender people being rooted in confusion.

Jamieson has found that educating peers and online followers has garnered mixed results, but perhaps has “broken down some barriers” and created more understanding than before.

She said there is always support in Muncie.

“There’s an awful lot of strong allies in Muncie, and it’s easy to focus on the negative. It’s easy to focus on those people that are angry and lashing out, but the number of allies is tremendous in Muncie. We can’t forget that,” she said.

Jamieson said she’s very fortunate to have transitioned later in life when she was comfortable financially and society was accepting. She said her “thick skin” means she’s not planning to change how she leads her life when faced with anti-trans legislation or initiatives.

While she is not afraid for herself, she is for trans teenagers because of legislators in the Indiana State House, who she described as “a mirror image of the Trump White House.”

Jamieson said these teens are not hiding who they are and are fighting the Braun administration, which “is in lockstep with Trump,” showing “impressive bravery.”

“We have lawmakers that instead of attacking real problems, they’re going after these culture issues, which are not actual issues,” she said. “… They’re focused on [this], instead of really, truly helping the majority of Hoosiers.”

While she is looking to move out of the state so her spouse can be closer to family, she admitted a secondary reason has evolved to further encourage the move — Maine’s LGBTQ+ and non-discriminatory legal protections.

Feeney recognized he fears losing access to care and other basic resources as a trans individual, some members of Muncie’s LGBTQ+ community are unafraid. These are people he looks up to and aspires to follow.

“I’m very fortunate to be part of a really great community that I can’t imagine my life without  — that is composed of for lack of a better phrase — adult queer people,” Feeney said. “There’s something about this community that makes [me] feel like, ‘If these people can live and be people in this community and not feel like dying every day, I can do it too.’”

Contact Trinity Rea via email at [email protected] or on X @thetrinityrea.