TLDR: I want to: 1. Be treated as a human being in The Netherlands. 2. I want to work and start a business.

Can I do that in the Netherlands as a transgender person?

Hello! I read the rules and I hope I word this right: I am an American looking to immigrate to the Netherlands! Before you kill me, let me explain! After serving in the US Navy as a hispanic closeted transgender person (this will make sense soon)

Coming back from being Overseas, America has changed, and in 4 years I can’t even recognize her. I realized how dangerous it is to be me in America. Every single member of my Hispanic family has been harassed for wearing a mask. I got threatened with a metal shovel by this white American (it’s always these white Americans who are the stereotype most non-Americans have of us) for wearing a mask and I while I called the police I know they won’t do anything.

A transgender person gets killed approximately every week in a hate crime. Every week! I am so scared of being myself I am fully compelled to move. Like, immigrate.

Why Netherlands? I want to tell you my intention:

1. I want to exist as a transgender person openly. So that means no one threatening me, insulting me, grabbing me, attacking me, and trying to murder me for just walking down the street. (I realize women go through a lot, so I mean am I treated as good/badly as the average woman?)

2. I want to do business in the Netherlands. I lack a lot of knowledge about modern Dutch people & culture, yet after studying your Mercantile History your culture typically being open to new people, places, and ideas, combined with an impressive understanding of English, I definitely want to investigate more.

I am choosing r/thenetherlands because I want to know what the average Dutch Person thinks before I begin to study the beautiful Dutch Language. My intention is to be taken seriously enough so I can start a startup and take advantage of international trade through Rotterdam. Although I am specializing in Meeicine, I can’t do anything if the first barrier to every encounter of meeting a person is the fact that I am trans.

I am currently unaware of any growing far right movements in the Netherlands, and I have seen that your country has said that migrates must respect LGBTQ Rights first which impressed me a lot!

I am sorry for the long winded post! I just really would love to be treated like a human being so I can do business. I really feel like I have a lot to bring to this world, I just know I can’t realize my full economic potential if being transgender is a barrier to opportunity!

Thank you for reading!