Born in the South, Mahlena-Rae Johnson moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. She eventually found a partner and a community of people who made California feel like home.
Johnson, a 42-year-old Black woman, said she felt a turning point when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. She said she felt it laid bare profound political and ideological divisions within the nation, which resulted in a growing intolerance toward non-cisgendered Americans.
In 2018, she and her partner relocated to Canada, seeking what they perceived to be a more politically progressive and secure environment to raise their children.
“I watched videos of people who moved to Canada, and one man who had moved years ago said that he liked living in a place where he knew his country wasn’t constantly at war,” Johnson told Business Insider. “It is overall a place where I feel safer with my family.”
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