International Transgender Day of Visibility

On March 31st we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Each year, at this time, trans awareness is celebrated around the world. On Thursday, we recognize the lives, contributions, and accomplishments of transgender and gender nonconforming people, while also acknowledging the work that still needs to be achieved for trans justice.  

In 2009, Rachel Crandall-Crocker wanted a reason for trans people to come together and celebrate. Rachel noticed the majority of media stories about transgender people was focused on violence and hate crimes. She wanted to create a day where people could re-focus on celebrating trans lives, empowering them to live authentically while acknowledging that not all trans people can or want to be visible due to bigotry. Rachel took matters into her own hands by posting on Facebook and messaging accounts all over the world encouraging people to organize their own festivities on March 31st. Years later, Crandall-Crocker’s efforts paid off as millions recognize this date as a day to celebrate transgender people worldwide.  

2021 was a year of great accomplishment and discrimination for the trans community. Last year numerous trans candidates were elected as officials into positions of power and decision making, ranging from the U.S. Senate to state representatives. In contrast, it was also a historic year of inequality as over 80 anti-trans bills were introduced in over half of the states in the United States. While transgender visibility is at an all-time high in this country’s history, there is clearly much more needed to be done to achieve equality.  

Despite our specific name, HarvardWIT+ is a community to support all marginalized gender identities across Harvard. Please join us in celebrating trans lives across the university and world. 

HarvardWIT+ 

 

LEARN

Gender Terminology Guide.pdf (glsen.org) 

Gender Terminology Visual.png (792×612) (glsen.org) 

Microsoft Word - Gender Revolution - GLSEN Educator Resource.docx 

A beginner's guide to being an ally to trans people | GLAAD 

A Trans History: Time Marches Forward And So Do We - YouTube 

A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth – The Trevor Project 

ACT AS AN ALLY

  1. Know the differences between gender identity, gender expression and sex assigned at birth (see image
  2. State your pronouns. By normalizing the practice of sharing your pronouns in your communities, you lighten the pressure on trans people. This also lowers the chance for unintentional misgendering to happen. 
  3. Learn about transgender history. Trans women of color were on the front lines of Stonewall. Dr. Rachel Levine just made history as the first openly trans official confirmed to the Senate. Trans history and experiences are full of interesting facts and events. 
  4. Support trans-led organizations. Seek out local programs and organizations run by trans people. 
  5. Recognize that being transgender is not about how someone looks: Being trans is not about dressing and acting a certain way. Being trans is a state of existing as one’s truth, regardless of what they are wearing and how they look. 

ATTEND

Moving past the Binary: The Importance of Transgender and Nonbinary Inclusion in Gender Equity Research | Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School 

  

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