Bob McCranie
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
Joe Biden may have defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, but Trump’s brand of hateful politics continues to dominate the Republican Party in many locations, including right here in Texas. In a state already controlled by the right wing of the GOP, anyone in any category of “other” — people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people — walk around with a target on their backs.
That is especially true for the state’s transgender residents, most especially for transgender youth and their families. The Lone Star State is no longer a safe place for them.
“There are people who need to get out of this jurisdiction right now,” gay Realtor Bob McCranie said. “People are on edge. Some people are already leaving, others are saying if the state turns any more to the right, they are leaving. Almost everyone I know is having this conversation with me. Some people already have their Plan B in place — Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Spain, different states even. Some are looking at New York, at Portugal.
He continued. “Some are saying, ‘Maybe it’s time to take that retirement and get out.’ Others are families with trans kids who have to get out now — right now. It’s the time for going back to school, and that’s putting a lot of pressure on people. You have to deal with teachers, with doctors — lots of people who might decide to turn you in because you are providing your child with gender-affirming care. And before you know it, CPS has come in and taken your child, and it’s too late.”
But those trying to sell their homes and move before the authorities come for children, or maybe before someone turns them in for having — or just considering having — an abortion, can’t necessarily just turn to any Realtor, McCranie said.
“You don’t want to hire a real estate agent who will turn you in when you are trying to move somewhere safe. And the worst thing you could do is get out of this state only to end up somewhere even worse,” he said.
That’s where FleeTexas.com — and now, FleeRedStates.com — come in.
McCranie — who founded Texas Pride Realty, an agency where “our entire brand is built on diversity” — came up with the idea of creating a virtual safe space for those who need to move and are looking for real estate professionals they can trust to help them do that.
“Our goal is to help you get out of town now and to find an agent you can trust in the city you’ve chosen to relocate to,” he explained. Launched in May, FleeTexas.com already has had more than 1,600 hits, he said, adding, “We’ve had people contacting from all over Texas, even from other parts of the country, looking for agents to help them sell their homes and find new ones. We have people calling from all over to be referrals, too.
“I’m not going to talk about which listings we have gotten through this. The whole idea is to keep people safe,” McCranie said. “We have to get people out before their kids are taken away.
I don’t want anyone on ‘the last train out of Paris,’ if we can avoid it.
“I hate to say that, but I’m not the only one saying it.”
McCranie said since launching the site, he has been getting calls from real estate professionals around the country, telling how they should have done or should do something similar. One agent told him he had tried to create a site for Indiana, “but his major brand [the large real estate company with which he is affiliated] made him take it down. I said he should change major brands,” McCranie declared.
For some, it is odd indeed to see McCranie, who has been an out, loud and proud LGBTQ rights activist since the early 1990s, encouraging people to, in effect, run.
McCranie said that when he and his former partner bought their first house together in 1998, “our agent at the time introduced us to everyone as brothers. When we went to get homeowners insurance, you couldn’t put two men’s names down as owners. We had to be listed as owner and tenant. Guess who was the tenant — me. I didn’t like it.”
“There are a lot of people these days who don’t remember what it was like to be illegal people, just because of who you were, who you loved. But I remember,” McCranie said. “We don’t need to go back to that. But it could happen. We went to sleep somewhere along the line, and now they are taking us back.
“They are already changing the election process. They plan to overturn Obergefell and Lawrence and more. This is a systematic dismantling of democracy. I worry about LGBTQ people.”
There is hope. Democrats challenging Republican incumbents in Texas government at the state level are gaining ground. Beto O’Rourke trails Gov. Greg Abbott by only 7 points, while Democratic challenger Mike Collier trails incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick by 5 points. And in the race for attorney general, incumbent Republican Ken Paxton is in a near tie with Democrat
Rochelle Garcia.
Still, McCranie said, even if LGBTQ-friendly candidates win some races, the danger remains.
“There are a lot of people saying we all need to stay and fight,” he acknowledged. “But I have been fighting since 1992, and I am at the place where I feel like, I’ve done my fight. Don’t get me wrong, I am going to keep on fighting, but some people have to protect their families first.
“I will keep fighting, but I know that part of this fight is saving our people, getting our people to safety.”
Those looking for assistance in selling their property or in finding property in a location safer for LGBTQ people can visit FleeTexas.com or FleeRedStates.com.
