International Transgender Day of Visibility

Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual observance intended to recognize and celebrate the lives of transgender people, and to bring awareness to the discrimination that transgender individuals face. In 2009, Rachell Crandall-Crocker, a psychotherapist and trans activist, founded the day in response to overwhelmingly sad media coverage that focused primarily on violence against members of the transgender community. Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance, (the November observance which honors victims of hate crimes), TDOV is intended to be celebratory.

Transgender individuals are persons whose gender identity or expression differs from the norms associated with their biological sex. The transgender community includes trans men and women, in addition to persons who are non-binary, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and bigender. UCLA’s Williams Institute estimates that 1.6 million people in the U.S., ages 13 and older, are transgender. The top five states in which transgender individuals live are: California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois.

The LGBTQ+ community is at the center of a great deal of political dialogue. However, the presence of transgender individuals has been documented in history for centuries. Some cultures have always recognized an array of gender identities - beyond male and female. Transgender people have served in the military, competed in sports, some notable examples of historical figures in the transgender community are:

• Elagabalus, a Roman Emperor who ascended to the throne in 218 AD.
• Albert Cashier, a Union Soldier who dressed and lived as a man in 1859.
• Alan Hart, a doctor and author, who was the first person to transition from male to female in the United States. He transitioned in or around 1917.
• Christine Jorgensen, a U.S. Army veteran who was the first person to undergo gender-affirming surgery in 1951.

To learn more about the transgender community, consult the following resources:

History

• Human Rights Campaign: https://www.hrc.org/resources/seven-things-about-transgender-people-that-you-didnt-know
• GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/blog/timeline-look-back-history-transgender-visibility

Terminology

• GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/reference/terms
• The Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/transgender-facts/art-20266812

Advocacy Areas:

• Human Rights Campaign: https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

Studies and Statistics

• Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/06/07/the-experiences-challenges-and-hopes-of-transgender-and-nonbinary-u-s-adults/
• Williams Institute, UCLA: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/trans-adults-united-states/