March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Trans Day of Visibility is an annual awareness day celebrated around the world. The day is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender and gender nonconforming people while raising awareness of the work that still needs to be done to achieve trans justice.
Right now, members of school communities can take these actions to help create trans-inclusive school environments, using these resources available for download via GLSEN:
Students, check out our Know Your Rights guide to learn about your rights protected in school
GSA members and advisors, check out our guide on making student clubs inclusive of trans and gender nonconforming students, as well as this GSA activity on telling trans narratives.
Advocates, use this trans model policy in your advocacy.
10 Things You Can Do To Support Transgender Day of Visibility:
1. Go to local Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) events—virtually. Given ongoing concerns about COVID-19, we encourage folks to follow the latest guidance from the Department of Public Health about attending public events in New Jersey.
2. Learn about trans history. Did you know that trans women of color were on the front lines of Stonewall? That a transgender man helped fund the New Age Movement? That a transgender woman exposed the U.S. government’s war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan?
3. Support trans-led organizations. Less than 10 percent of grants going to LGBTQ organizations go to trans-led ones. Many trans organizations run on donations from people like you! Find organizations run by trans people to support in your community today.
4. Don’t out your trans friends. It may be Transgender Day of Visibility, but sometimes trans folks don’t want to be or aren’t safe being visible. Always ask first!
5. Know the differences between gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth, sexuality, and emotional attraction. Also know to ALWAYS refer to a trans person by their gender identity and not their sex assigned at birth. Gender is also much more complicated than the sex/gender/sexuality distinction.
6. Recognize the intersections of transness and other identities. This includes race, sexuality, class, disability, citizenship, and more. Recognition does not just entail acknowledgment, it means action and centering trans women of color.
7. Make women’s spaces encompassing of trans women. If you have access to women’s spaces, make sure it is not exclusionary of trans women. Whether it’s a women’s college, party, or music event, trans women are women and deserve to be part of these spaces. Also recognize that we need more than inclusion: the entire space must be rethought in how it perpetuates transmisogyny.
8. Learn trans terminology. Trans language is always changing and important to know.
9. Tell people when they say something transphobic or cissexist. This may be calling out, calling in, or a different form of recognition. Accountability is vital for our community!
10. Celebrate—and fight for—trans lives. This is Transgender Day of Visibility—it’s the time for education, empowerment, and action! Join the celebration. Start a protest. Host a movie night. Organize a rally. Make the world a better place for transgender people.
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