Countless marginalized people are displaced from their homes every year. I happen to be one of the recent additions to this statistic. I plan to explore the country, searching for places where marginalized people can thrive and make a home. After visiting each location, I will reflect on my experiences through the different intersecting aspects of my identity. I will also feature interviews with locals from various backgrounds to hear what it’s like to live there for them. Additionally, I will provide demographics, resources, and other useful information when deciding where to live. Join me and the other misfits on our journey to find home!

Everyone deserves a home they love where they feel a sense of belonging. Finding this home can be a difficult task, for even the most privileged among us. Marginalized people (or misfits** as I affectionately refer to myself and my friends) face additional and unique challenges. These challenges further hinder their ability to explore beyond their current circumstances and find the home they truly deserve.
**see “Identity Label Disclaimer” footnote.

All marginalized individuals face prejudice, whether it's due to the color of their skin, whom they love, or how their bodies or minds function. Some marginalized people are estranged from their families of origin, while other families have limited resources to offer. Some people shoulder the responsibility of caring for children or disabled relatives, while others struggle to navigate daily life with their own mental or physical disabilities with little to no help from our weak social services. These are just a few examples of the barriers that leave many marginalized people feeling stuck, dejected, and hopeless when searching for a new home. Unfortunately, some have internalized messages from the world that they are not even worthy of such a home.

I face some of these challenges and can relate to feelings of hopelessness and self-doubt all too well. However, compared to some marginalized individuals, I do have many privileges. In the vast majority of circumstances, being white, college-educated, presenting as male, having citizenship, and speaking Standard American English— all afford me significant advantages compared to those without these attributes. I’m also fortunate enough to have a rich network of chosen family, a bit of money saved up, some useful skills, and a good dose of chutzpah. I can leverage these privileges to gain valuable information and share what I find with others.

Then, of course, I also have Lennie— my 2007 Prius-camper that I designed and built by hand. Together, Lennie and I will explore the country, searching for places where marginalized people can thrive and make a home. After visiting each town, I will reflect on my experiences through the different intersecting aspects of my identity. I’ll also interview locals from various backgrounds to better understand what it may be like to live there. I aim to provide a platform for voices from a wide range of marginalized communities, including those I don’t personally belong to— ensuring this project benefits as many people as possible.

On my website, I will curate and present demographics, resources, and other meaningful information that would factor into a decision about where to move. Additionally, I aim to foster connections among marginalized people and our allies through a national support network over social media. While we each face unique challenges, community remains the most vital resource for all of us. Wherever you are right now may be the perfect home for someone who could use your insight and support to get there, and vice versa.

Since this project’s inception, I have finished my camper build, taken some classes in video editing and small business management, and begun my research. As of September 2023, I’ve been road-testing this dream for a few months, working out the kinks of nomadic life, and shaping the project’s concept with some real-world experience.

This upcoming winter will be dedicated to location research, scheduling interviews, fortifying my digital infrastructure, and fundraising. Come spring 2024, I aim to commence on-location film production with the debut of finished episodes slated for that summer.

Our world is grappling with unparalleled challenges of loneliness, insecurity, and disconnection. I hope you'll join me in this endeavor to bridge some of those gaps for the most vulnerable among us. If my mission resonates with you, please lend your support. There are many ways beyond financial donations that you can participate in the project.

Footnote

**Identity Label Disclaimer:

Not everyone who is a marginalized person will identify as a “misfit.” In fact, not everyone who experiences personal or systemic challenges will identify as a “marginalized person.” I claim both of these terms as a part of my identity and use them somewhat interchangeably throughout this website. By no means do I intend to place labels on others or cause anyone to feel excluded or uncomfortable. I hope anyone who doesn’t identify with these terms will still be able to benefit from the information I provide. Language is imprecise and messy, and I’ll do my best to use inclusive language, listen to feedback, and adjust when necessary and possible.

Growing up, I felt like an alien everywhere I went. Born and raised in Hawaii, I later moved to Colorado, attended college in Boston, and then discovered the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006. As a visibly queer, trans-masculine person with disabilities, I never fit in and rarely met people who mirrored my experiences or identity. From the 80s to the early 2000s, it was common for me to hear slurs hurled at me across the schoolyard or from a passing car. Suddenly, in the Bay Area, I easily blended into a crowd and could finally let my guard down. Was I oblivious to the surging housing costs, imminent threat of climate change, and increasing income inequality? Initially, yes. My focus was on my relief and excitement to be among those who celebrated me for who I was.

The Bay was a comfortable bubble that sheltered me from the harsh judgments and prejudice of the wider world. However, over 15 years, I witnessed the cost of living more than triple, and homelessness and climate change crises increase more than tenfold. Trash and human feces littered the sidewalks and shantytowns were built and began to spill over into the streets. From 2018 to 2021, wildfires ravaged more than 10 million acres of California forests and homes. These fires exacerbated homelessness state-wide and poisoned the air for the entire West Coast.

In the first year of the pandemic, I had my 40th birthday. That same year, I also lost my job, my rent-controlled apartment, and ultimately, my dreams of a lasting future in the Bay Area. I recall the morning I awoke to a sky enveloped in a dystopian rusty-orange haze. The winds had shifted, propelling wildfire ash high into the atmosphere, casting an eerie sepia shadow on everything. A primal instinct in me screamed, “get out of here!” While I didn’t leave that day, in retrospect, that was the omen I needed to set change in motion.

The prospect of leaving my safe haven to find a new home was daunting. Being forced to consider it, though, made me realize I didn’t have a clue what life was actually like in other places anymore. I began to reflect on all the progressive strides our country had made while I was in the bubble: the federal legalization of gay marriage, electing Barack Obama twice, the dramatic rise in queer and trans representation in media, and movements like Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, and Me Too. We had also taken some recent steps backward with all the Trump nonsense and general whitelash* to Obama’s presidency… but those raging dinosaurs couldn’t undo all the progress we’d made. Perhaps there were other places I could belong and even thrive?

This reflection sparked the initial concept of my project. I aimed to build a camper and travel across the US, seeking out progressive, affordable towns. My goal was to experience each town firsthand and engage with its residents to gain a deeper understanding of life there.

When I shared this plan with my community, many resonated with my dilemma. They implored me to share my discoveries, hoping my insights would better inform their own decisions. These responses transformed my personal quest into a broader social cause, and the vision for Misfit Migration began to take shape. I planned to document my endeavor on YouTube, make the data I collect about each place publicly available, and provide opportunities for marginalized people to connect and support each other directly.

While I faced a steep learning curve on the tech and production front, the skills I already possessed were invaluable and harder to come by. My extroverted nature, adventurous spirit, and recruitment, counseling, and acting backgrounds all uniquely equipped me for this project.

It has been a long and winding road from the Orange Sky Day ‘til now, but I’ve learned a lot and grown immensely. I’m finally ready to launch this project in earnest and am enjoying the initial stages of my journey. So far, Durham, Santa Fe, the greater DC Area, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia have been my trial grounds. It’s a fabulous start to my grand adventure, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

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Whitelash: a backlash… by white people against the success and achievements of Black people

Source: Cambridge Dictionary (online version)

Misfit Migration isn’t just a catchy alliterative name. I debated over it for months, asking many people from different backgrounds to weigh in on it. No name was perfect, but this came the closest to conveying who I am, who I serve, and what I’m doing, while still having a nice ring to it. For a little while it was “The Great Misfit Migration”… but after a wise suggestion, I removed “The Great” to not be confused with or appropriative of “The Great Migration” of Black Americans moving north and west after the end of slavery. However, because words can be used in many ways in different contexts, I’m sure some folks will still be uncomfortable with the name. I’d like to tell you my meaning of these words within the context of this website and project.

Misfit:
An individual whose behavior, appearance, beliefs, abilities, or other personal characteristics set them apart from others in their surroundings.

Migration:
To move from one region, place, or locality to another.