On this Trans Day of Visibility, @elle_moxley calls on ALL of us to organize and fight to protect and defend the rights of all our siblings. #TDOV #TransIsBeautiful #transtwitter #BlackTransLivesMatter https://t.co/DjLxHxjN5g
— Marsha P. Johnson Institute (@MPJInstitute) March 31, 2023
It’s #TDOV! Today, we:
💙 honor all trans people
🤍 celebrate trans visibility
💗 recommit to the fight for trans equality
We are one in power and solidarity.
Happy Trans Day of Visibility! 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/qQpmh4VzVD— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 31, 2023
Visibility is a very complicated topic for transgender people. On the one hand, visibility means that trans people are being seen because they are living openly as themselves; on the other hand, visibility provokes a backlash of fear, policing, and violence against trans people in direct relationship to that increase in visibility, as society responds to something it doesn’t quite understand.
There is a consumption of our marginality where trans people are essentially treated as public spectacle: when and how we transition, what our genitalia looks like, whether we pass, whether we are trying to “gain” something by transitioning, whether we are “making it up” for attention, or if we are not out, whether we are lying to get one over on our unsuspecting community.
Being trans stops being who we “are” but as something that we “do” — something that we are imposing on others. That foundational seed leads to the intense backlash againt trans people — the perception is that we are doing transness to society, to children! Trans bodies being treated as pornographic, criminal, and violent in and of themselves. According to translegislation.com, there are 424 active anti-trans bills in the US. The ACLU is tracking 435.
For those of you who are not trans, a gentle reminder that it is no longer enough for you to support your trans friends and family privately: Our visibility endangers us. It is scary as hell out there! We need our allies to become visible too, to speak out publicly of their support, and to learn the facts and information that can be used to dispel the torrent of lies. On this Transgender Day of Visibility, I encourage you to do your part and make yourself visible as someone who supports trans folks.