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Today is Transgender Day of Visibility, a holiday devoted to celebrating the collective accomplishments of transgender and gender non-conforming people around the world, and raising awareness of the work that's needed to save lives. TDOV began in 2009, because people realized there weren't any LGBTQ-dedicated days that celebrate the successes of transgender people, so they made their own. On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor and mourn the lives that are cut short by violence, while TDOV focuses on progress and action.
"Visibility and awareness aren't enough to protect our community, and so we are working to highlight what trans people and communities are doing," says Eli Erlick, director of Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER). "Trans people have incredible accomplishments that often go under-recognized and undervalued; we are using this platform to bring attention to our successes and end transphobia internationally." Donating to trans-led organizations, sharing resources and information, and showing up to your local Transgender Day of Visibility events (you can find one near you here) are all great ways to advocate.
This year's theme is trans resistance, and Erlick says activists are focusing on mobilizing transgender people in the increasing anti-trans political climate worldwide. "Trans or not, we must collectively resist and take action," Erlick says. You'll see people tweeting using the hashtags #TransResistance and #TDOV to share their stories about why we need to see trans people now more than ever. Here's how some inspiring voices are using Twitter to broadcast their personal truths.
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