Thirteen years
ago today, transgender advocate Rachel Crandall established Transgender Day of
Visibility (TDoV), an annual event to celebrate transgender and nonbinary
people while also recognizing the discrimination our communities face
worldwide. Now more than ever, TDoV is an important reminder to celebrate the
strength, joy, and leadership of transgender and nonbinary people, especially
amid a surge of unprecedented efforts by state legislatures across the
country targeting transgender people.
As a
transgender person myself, it is often with a heavy heart — and always with a
deep sense of responsibility to our community — that I update and maintain
our Equality
Maps tracking these laws and policies in the midst of one of the worst
legislative sessions for transgender people on record.
In 2021, Arkansas
became the first state to ban best practice medical care for transgender youth,
and over half of states have considered similar bills. Last
month, Texas ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services
to begin investigating families of transgender children for potential child
abuse. And just in the past week, four anti-LGBTQ bills were signed into law in
Florida, Oklahoma, and Arizona — all targeting transgender youth.
Dozens of
states have also considered or passed bills that undermine a safe school
environment for students, especially transgender youth. This includes
bills banning transgender students from participating in school
sports consistent with their gender identity — and the number of these
bills more than tripled from 2020 to 2021, with many states
continuing to introduce these bills this year.
And yet,
transgender people are still thriving and working in community to create a
world of safety, love, and support.
In my work
with MAP, I’ve written about incredible trans-led grassroots and advocacy
organizations like Gender
Benders and the Nationz
Foundation. These organizations and many others serving transgender people
in the U.S. South, in rural communities and big cities alike, give us
blueprints on how to build coalitions and nurture community.
Trans
leadership and innovation also show us ways to simultaneously meet immediate
needs and address problems like economic insecurity at their root. The
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico’s Thrift-A-Lot store,
for example, empowers transgender and nonbinary people through job
opportunities and wraparound supports — especially critical given the high
rates of discrimination and other barriers to employment that transgender
people face. And through legal services provided by LGBTQ community centers across the country,
transgender people are getting the help they need to change their legal name to
better reflect their gender identity and reduce their risk of experiencing
discrimination.
I am reminded
of the strength, joy, and leadership of transgender people when I see this
incredible work, activism, and community-building happening across the country.
I am reminded of our resilience when I see transgender kids and their families
meeting with lawmakers to share their stories of love, faith, community, and
how harmful bills will impact them.
I also grieve
that resilience is something we must measure ourselves by, and I give thanks
for everyone working for a day when our humanity is no longer contested or
legislated. Their stories — our stories — are reminders of the strength of
transgender people and the importance of love, acceptance, and community.
Only three months
into 2022, we know it’s already been an impossible year for transgender people,
for parents of transgender kids, and for advocates working on behalf of
transgender and nonbinary communities.
But today, on
Trans Day of Visibility, let’s take time to honor our successes and joys as we
continue to create a world where all people have a fair chance to pursue health
and happiness, be safe in their communities, and take care of the ones they
love.
Another world
is possible, and I’m thankful to be part of the work to make it happen.
Together with
Gender Spectrum and the Biden Foundation, we created a toolkit for parents with transgender and gender
diverse children, including resources for families of faith and families of
color.
SOURCE: MOVEMENT ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
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