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
