Newsletter #11: On Queer Homesteading; Portland vs. Melbourne; and Our New LinkedIn Page
A new Gallup poll reports that "40% of [U.S.] women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity." In 2014, only 10% said the same thing. And that’s not even counting queer and trans women specifically.
Gallup, Inc.
It's not hard to see why. SNAP benefits are here one day and gone the next. Health insurance premiums can spike at a moment’s notice. Student loans are in limbo.
All of these uncertainties make it hard to plan for the future.
At Remote Queer, we’re focused on providing useful resources for LGBTQ+ people seeking work and mobility — whether you’re staying or going.
If you’re in Portland, OR, check out this guide that our friend Bryan at Stumptown Savings made to help you navigate food assistance in uncertain times:
Bryan M. Vance
If you’re thinking of leaving, check out Help Me Leave, a “resource hub for at-risk Americans seeking safety abroad” to help you narrow down your destination:
We recommend an Australian or New Zealand working holiday visa if you’re under the age of 30 — and we can help you get settled if you come to Melbourne.
When I moved to Melbourne in 2017, I was looking for a kind of “Portland Down Under”. Did I find what I was looking for? Yes and no. Here’s my honest take on Portland vs. Melbourne so you can decide whether it’s right for you:
Saul
Two New Queer Books
On the topic of feeling at home, we’re excited about an upcoming book by Lindsey Danis called On Queer Homesteading, to be released on February 27, 2026:
According to the book description, in “On Queer Homesteading, memoir, history, and homesteading practices intertwine to show how tending the land and tending each other can open new pathways for joy, kinship, and possibility.”
You can learn more about it and pre-order the book here.
I also just finished reading DILF: Did I Leave Feminism? by Jude Doyle — which he describes as a book about “identities, patriarchy, and the trans and/or feminist value of never being sure”:
Melville House
It’s a fascinating read that dives deep into feminist theory, while also being a very personal look at the transition process for a trans man wondering “can I belong to the movement I care about while living inside the body I want and need?”
Find it at Bookshop.org or your local library.
On Travel Abroad
Whether you work remotely or not, traveling abroad can be a much-needed respite from everything going on in the world, or a chance to explore a new country before moving there for good. But who you travel with matters.
This article by Queer Adventurers explains why you should be skeptical of “queer influencer trips” organized by platforms like TrovaTrips:
Lindsey
Instead, they recommend booking a trip that “employ[s] local guides … support[s] marginalized communities … [and has] insider knowledge.”
That’s one of the reasons I love traveling with NOMADTRIBE. They plan group trips to Latin America, led by people from the countries they visit, and organize cooking classes, skillshares, dance lessons, and more.
I recently went on my second remote work trip with NOMATRIBE, and while they don’t have any trips specifically for queer people, they’re incredibly welcoming to LGBTQ+ participants (and always get my preferred name right!).
Read my review and check out their upcoming trips here:
Saul
Follow Us on LinkedIn
Finally, we recently created a LinkedIn page for Remote Queer and would love to connect with you there! We don’t love being on mainstream social media, but we need to reach a wider audience in order to make this project sustainable.
It would help us a lot if you followed us there and forwarded this email to anyone you know who might be interested in what we have to offer!
Remote Queer
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Thanks so much for reading!
Saul & the RQ Team
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