News

Celebrate... International Day of Trans Visibility

Posted 31/03/24

Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV) takes place every 31 March, celebrating trans and non-binary people and raising awareness of the discrimination faced by the community worldwide.

What is International Transgender Day of Visibility?

TDoV was created as a day to visibly celebrate being transgender, to centre positive and realistic representation and also for allies to show their support for the transgender community. Founded by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a Michigan-based psychotherapist, it was established in response to the lack of an event to honour trans folk, and to complement its autumn counterpart, the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) that is held each year on 20 November.

What can our community do to celebrate TDoV?

You can show your support in a number of ways, including:

Pronouns

Simply adding your pronouns to your signature or social media normalises sharing pronouns so that when a trans person wants to identify theirs, it's not inadvertently drawing attention to themselves.

Education

As with any diverse group of people it's important that we learn about each other. Check out some of the terms commonly used (or misused) that our trans friends would like you to know in this glossary of Trans language.

Language

Don’t be scared! You might feel like you don’t always know the right terminology or the right thing to say, but trans people just want to be treated with respect and dignity – just like anyone else. If you’d like to learn more about what it’s like to be trans, check out this myth-busting Q&A - The truth about trans (stonewall.org.uk)

Events

Find local events on 31 March 2024 that celebrate or support the trans community, all allies are welcome in these safe spaces. Events can be found on Facebook groups or Eventbrite, a few are highlighted here: Manchester, Hitchin, and Liverpool.

Speaking up

Much like any marginalised community, there is no need to speak over, or for, trans people when they are in the conversation. However it is important that voices with merit speak up when needed; this isn't to say that Trans voices aren't heard, but if a voice holds influence with a person spreading negativity, it should be used to correct these behaviours.

Want to Learn More?

There are lots resources and webinars available online to learn and celebrate TDoV.

This Trans Day of Visibility, we’re happy to share a short film by documentary film-maker Lily Vetch that offers direct insight into the Hijra experience, featuring an interview with Dhaka-based Rani Chowdhury and scenes of dance rehearsals with a male partner.

Read more about TDoV on Wikipedia or read about the Global Perspective of TDoV by Stonewall.