I'm also in east Tennessee and have been brainstorming an exit plan in a worst case scenario. It sucks because I really do love it here.
As far as trans rights go, the US is a lot better than a lot of countries just because we have informed consent. I was actually looking into what countries are good for trans folks and the list is shorter than you'd think. Honestly, if we fight it out here, I think the US could become one of the best places to be trans in.
But yeah... With what's happening with Vanderbilt, it's probably a good idea get an exit plan at the very least