March 31, 2021, International Transgender Day of Visibility

March 31st, 2021 is International Transgender Day of Visibility(TDOV). TDOV acknowledges the contributions made by people within the transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming (GNC) communities.TDOV serves as a counterbalance to Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day of mourning held on Nov. 20 to commemorate the oppression of all trans people or those who have died the previous year due to anti-trans bias and violence.
Transgender Day of Visibility was founded in 2009 by Rachel Crandall, a Michigan-based transgender activist and the Executive Director of Transgender Michigan. It was started as a day of awareness to celebrate the successes of transgender and gender-nonconforming people and is an important day for the LGBTQ community. It’s a day for allies and advocates to show up and show support.
Out & Equal recently released a guide “How To Celebrate Transgender Employees on TDOV and Year-Round. They list five actions employers can take to support transgender/GNC community members. They advise it is most meaningful when these actions are engaged year-round and not only onTTDOD.
The recommendations are as following:
- Ensure your policies and procedures reflect your values.
- Understand the challenges faced by your transgender/GNC colleagues.
- Invest in transgender/GNCleadership.
- Elevate the transgender/GNC community throughouttheyear.
- Voice public support for the transgender/GNC community
Additional resources:
- The Transgender Film Center, a non-profit organization that supports transgender filmmakers and their projects.
- https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender?_ga=2.73990674.1889425697.1617210950-1196204302.1617210950
- https://www.glsen.org/activity/transgender-day-visibility
- https://www.glaad.org/blog/guest-post-im-trans-comedian-and-im-asking-you-laugh-me-tdov-heres-why
- Laverne Cox Presents: ‘The T Word’ | MTV
- Handsome and Majestic- A powerful story of a BC transgender teen who bravely combats bullying in his school and community.
- Two Spirits, One Dance For Native American Artist | AJ+Ty DeFoe uses traditional dance to take his gender identity back from the negative connotations established during colonization.
- https://youtu.be/S8DwxjDrNNM