What ordinary days look like when ordinary things aren't guaranteed.

Before leaving the house, a trans woman in a "Worst Laws" state runs through a mental checklist that has nothing to do with the weather. Does she have her ID? Does her ID still match how she looks? In states like Texas, the process of updating a driver's license to reflect her gender has been blocked by state officials, even after a court ordered them to comply. She carries documentation from her doctor.

She plans her route to avoid a specific gas station restroom she used once and was followed out of. She notes which businesses in her area have single-stall bathrooms she can use without drawing attention. This is a regular part of planning her day.

A trans boy in a state with a bathroom ban navigates a school that has told him he must use the bathroom corresponding to his sex assigned at birth. He doesn't use the bathroom at school at all. He limits what he drinks in the morning. He has learned to manage this quietly, because drawing attention to it makes things worse.

His parents have consulted an attorney. They're watching the legislative session. In three states, parents who allow their children to access gender-affirming care face potential investigation by child protective services.

A trans woman calls ahead to confirm that the clinic will see her and that her records reflect her name and gender. She has been misgendered by medical staff before and knows which clinics in the area are affirming. The nearest one is 40 minutes away.

In states with bans on gender-affirming care, some hospitals have stopped treating trans patients entirely — including for care unrelated to transition — to avoid legal risk. One hospital in a southeastern state removed all mention of trans health from its website after executive orders suggested federal funding could be at risk.

She watches the news. There is legislation being debated in her state that would remove the legal recognition of her gender entirely — erasing her from government documents, potentially affecting her marriage, her mortgage, her employment records.

She texts a friend in another state. The friend is considering moving. She is too. But moving costs money, and her family is here, and she has a job she loves, and she shouldn't have to leave.

She shouldn't have to leave.