Born and raised in the South, Mahlena-Rae Johnson moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. She spent decades in the city working as a writer, eventually finding 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.
