Happy Trans Day of Visibility to everyone who celebrates!
TDOV was created by Rachel Crandall-Crocker in 2009, to celebrate trans life and bring trans communities together. You can learn more about TDOV’s history and her read her reflections on the day in this interview.
We love the joy and pride of TDOV, and we also recognize that many people in our community have no choice about their visibility. Visibility impacts all of us in different ways, but trans feminine, racialized, and disabled trans communities experience increased risk of violence and harm.
We want to take this opportunity to speak to the concerns that we’ve been hearing from community members about growing anti-trans movements.
We are in the middle of a global backlash against trans communities, and specifically the politicization of gender-affirming health care, a basic human right. Cis people use many of the medications and surgeries involved in gender-affirming care, but it is the use by trans communities that has been politicized and targeted. Fearmongering about gender-affirming care is not about the care itself, but about restricting gender diverse people’s bodily autonomy and self-expression.
White supremacy is at the root of this backlash. This is why attempts to limit the discussion of queer or trans experiences in schools go hand in hand with attempts to limit discussions related to race and racism. This is why bans on gender-affirming care in the US make exceptions for medically unnecessary, cosmetic surgeries on intersex infants. This is why bans against trans women in sports also ban Black cisgender athletes. Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people do not fit neatly into patriarchal sex and gender boxes. The current backlash seeks to force everyone back into these harmful, binary boxes and perpetuate oppression of all forms.
All of our liberation is interconnected.
To the cis people ready to help: contact politicians in support of Bill 42, educate yourself about how to counter anti-trans disinformation, show up to defend queer events under attack, and donate to local, community-based organizations that are providing support to impacted communities.
To everyone in the community celebrating today, we hope this day brings you joy, love, affirmation, hope, and safety. You deserve all of these things, all of the time.
The staff and board of Hamilton Trans Health Coalition