I wonder what's preventing him from moving back to Maryland? Maryland is blue so it should be safe and it's definitely not as expensive as Seattle. Although, we probably are more trans-friendly.

So, to summarize:
1. He lived in a self-admittedly safe place with a supportive family.
2. He made an idiotic decision to run someplace less safe he was too lazy to check chasing after a potential partner. Always a really stupid idea universally regardless of gender, etc...
3. When that shockingly didn't work out and he realized he bleeped it all up, he skipped going back home where it was safe and supportive because...? We'll never know the answer to that obvious question because the "reporter" didn't ask it.
4. Instead, he raced across the country to Seattle, again without bothering to research it, and then fell for one of the most amateurish cons around. Not shockingly a major city is expensive. Yet he still, like most folks starting out in one found a roomie and split a crappy apartment with cheap furniture...like all of us did at the start. Again, the "reporter" didn't bother asking practical employment and future plans questions for us to know how the long term looks.
5. All of the above means that evil Seattle taxpayers should cough more up to provide him with affordable nice housing in perpetuity.

Sheesh.

This person made a series of terrible decisions. They need to move back home before they are victimized again by the world’s scammers and grifters. Seattle is a blue city, but that doesn’t mean it won’t chew up and spit out the naive.

Why so many jerks in the comment section today? Nobody’s asking for any free housing; empathy is free. Best of luck to you Michael. It does get better, I swear.

He was “Forced Out” of Florida… but he hadn’t been “forced out” of Maryland, nor was he “forced to” Washington…. let alone Seattle, one of the most notoriously expensive housing markets in the nation.

Beyond the rental scan, the only thing he is a victim of is poor planning, even more poorly executed.

Surprise, Seattle is actually full of shitty rednecks. Too bad they don't include that in the brochure. Try California next for even more expensive disappointments.

Jesus Christ there’s a LOT victim blaming going on up in here

A note for the unwary: if the renter can't let you in to the property, can't show up to meet you ("just stop by and have a look and call me if you're interested"), is always "out of town," wants some kind of up-front payment on an untrackable platform to "secure your lease" to a place you have never stepped foot in... it's a scam. Not "it might" be a scam, it is DEFINITELY a scam.

@7
He blames the cat for being a cat.
The pounce was an ounce too forceful
and the plot was lost, just like that.

@4: Comments here just recount the story, asking the unanswered questions left from it. The subject made a number of rash decisions, most of which gave unpleasant results, and now lives like many of us did when we first arrived in Seattle in our youths. Other than the subject being both trans’ and incredibly naive to the point of folly, there’s little of interest here. (The article assumes throughout that Seattle should be some perfect sanctuary city for impoverished trans’ persons, when that’s not true and never has been.)

This story appears within the context of other recent stories the Stranger has published, on the theme of expecting sympathy for persons who do not seem to deserve it. Previous stories have sympathetically profiled homeless criminals who have made no positive contributions to Seattle, and implying they remain homeless due entirely to housing affordability. Pertinent questions seem to go unasked, relevant details are obscured, and the only solution mentioned or implied is more housing assistance for anyone who wants it. Little wonder this article has received a response similar to the responses those articles received.

https://www.thestranger.com/news/2023/03/21/78913110/the-parents-dont-want-shelter-they-want-sweeps/comments

https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/08/22/78155342/what-will-they-do-with-his-garden/comments

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2022/05/24/73946179/the-hunger-games-of-housing/comments

Did anyone commenting negatively here read the article? Michael moved to Seattle because his boss arranged a transfer, meaning he had a job waiting for him. That makes a big difference. Otherwise I'd agree that Portland or Eugene (both of which are at least as trans-friendly as Seattle) would be a better bet for young newcomers to the region.

Why would someone with a Trump or MAGA hat make you fee unsafe Michael? I suggest keeping one handy. It actually can work out to one's advantage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ydEjUGuI4

@4 the commenters are "being jerks" as you say because TS's schtick has grown stale. They find some sad case and use it to seemingly denigrate Seattle as not being progressive enough for their liking. It's not overt in stories like this but many of us who have been reading TS for some time know the angle they are pursuing. As @10 has indicated they have tried this several times with varying plot lines and each time it has spectacularly failed not because the subject of the story themselves isn't having a hard time or could use a break but because of the expectation that you should be able to show up in an expensive city and have the red carpet rolled out for you. That has never been true in any city ever. I hope Michael finds a way to make it work but if he can't I hope he goes back to Baltimore rather than compound his poor decision making by becoming one of erstwhile street campers who have been "priced out" by Amazon.

Written in a kind of boo-hooey tone that may someday embarrass the writer. M. will face adversity and learn and grow. He will figure it out or not. The commenters are disdainful because the article casts this as a tale of good and evil--Michael=good, the world = evil. Readers are too smart for that babyish simplicity.

@13 Moving away from your hometown to a new city and struggling with housing is a very universal experience and I’m lucky I navigated through putting down roots without being scammed or experiencing housing insecurity (my first job here was sub minimum wage). I last changed Seattle homes over ten years ago and would struggle with getting my bearings if I had to find something new tomorrow. Agenda or no, its just lame that the overwhelming reaction to this common story was a) the youth was a moron and 2) go back where you came from (I’m paraphrasing). When did the Next Door crowd move in to the comment section.

I would have loved to live in Capitol Hill near Volunteer Park when I first came to Seattle. Instead I split an inexpensive apartment in Tukwila with a roommate. I didn't consider that the result of an "affordability crisis," it was just living within my means.

@15: Definitely more challenging and obstacles being trans, but generally what galvanizes empathy in these profiles is something about the subject we can relate to. What does Michael do for a living? What are their hopes and dreams? In other words, where's the spunk? No spunk, no overwhelming reaction.

Else, light a candle in the window for Michael and listen to Joan Baez.

@15: As implied @10 and @13, any ire in this comment thread doesn’t start with Michael. The headline, sub-head, and first twenty (!) paragraphs of this story all mislead the reader into believing Michael hailed from Florida, and had been driven out of his home state by a sudden tsunami of bigoted legislation. Only in the twenty-first paragraph do we start to learn Michael actually came from a very safe, supportive, and nurturing environment in a blue state, but foolishly followed his much (much much MUCH) older boyfriend to Florida.

We also learn Michael can use TikTok proficiently, but apparently could not type “Florida trans rights” or “Seattle rent” into a search engine before deciding to leave everything he knew to go live in those faraway places. But that last is all Seattle’s fault: “The twisted irony of Seattle being both safe and unaffordable is not lost on him. He believed Seattle, and by extension Washington, was supposed to be a safe place for trans people, but it still falls far short of equality.” It is left as an exercise for the reader to show how all of Michael’s many problems resulted from Seattle failing him so miserably on equality.

Wow there are a lot of shitbags in this comment section. The person moved to Florida before any states had banned trans care. They did not know what a shithole it was until they got there, and they fled (with a job) when it became unsafe. They came here for their job and safety. They got scammed like many others before them - it’s why the scammers keep doing it, they take advantage of desperate people and know how to pressure people to feel like they can be trusted. Be pissed at the scammers, not this poor kid who wants to be safe and earn enough to survive. Not everyone is a well off old cis white dude. None of you ever did anything reckless or immature when you were younger? Quit being so judgmental & have some empathy.

@20: “Wow there are a lot of shitbags in this comment section.”

The kind who start their comments with potty-mouthed name-calling, or the other kind? Please be more specific. ;-)

“The person moved to Florida before any states had banned trans care. They did not know what a shithole it was until they got there,”

If only there was some way he could have learned about the place before he moved there!

Look, for all of Michael’s self-inflicted problems, he’s doing a lot better for his time in Seattle than I was at that point in my time there. I’m just wondering how any of his problems are Seattle’s fault, which is what this article repeatedly implies. If you can ever get past your name-calling and self-righteous, condescending lectures, perhaps you can help the rest of us understand how Seattle has wronged poor Michael?

"When did
the Next Door crowd
move in to the comment section."

when did Jesus get co-
opted as an Aide to
The Culture Wars.

they're coming for the
least-well connected & will
Not stop till their Jesus hates everyone
They do. the Battle isn't between left & 'right'

it's Facsism
vs. Sanity

@22: Eye roll

jelly roll
belly laff

you don't Fear
their Wrath
Do you
dewey.

@19 Not so strange. Guy probably had money, wit, decent looks, and could at least play-act deep empathy. That can get you pretty far at any age with emotionally and/or materially needy young people.

Great piece. Basically Michael's a 21 year old who's growing up. You grow up when you leave home to finally begin adulting.

Michael, welcome to Seattle. My advice to you, fulfill the residency requirements for WA state and take advantage of the UW Extension courses and the community colleges to learn a few tech and business-minded non-tech skills, starting with CS fundamentals and maybe the Python programming language. As someone in the GLBTQ community here in Seattle, we need to see more of us in tech. It'll help you climb the socioeconomic ladder here and will later ease any concerns around housing affordability. There's nothing wrong with being an employee for any of the tech companies here, regardless of who they are.