Celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility

A group of transgender service members

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring each year on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. 

The holiday was founded by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall of Michigan in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered holiday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. 

The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. It has since been spearheaded by the U.S.-based youth advocacy organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

From the Trans Student Educational Resources website:

What is the Transgender Day of Visibility?
TDOV is a day to show your support for the trans community. It aims to bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people around the globe while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading knowledge of the trans community. Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance, this is not a day for mourning: this is a day of empowerment and getting the recognition we deserve!

Where is TDOV?
Everywhere! We encourage you to have discussions, create direct actions, and spread knowledge about the trans community no matter where you are! You can also join our Facebook event and use hashtag #tdov or #transthriving on social media.

What is this year’s theme?
This year’s theme is “surviving, thriving” (#TransThriving). This acknowledges the number of major transgender achievements in the past 12 months. We are not only surviving the Trump regime but we are making strides to transform how people think about gender around the world. In the increasingly transphobic global political climate, we must use our newfound visibility to mobilize trans people against oppression. Speaking out, taking direct action, and educating others is critical to our safety and wellbeing. This recognizes that while visibility is important, we must take action against transphobia. Visibility is not enough alone to bring transgender liberation. However, we can use visibility as a vital tool for transgender justice. We would like to thank writer and TSER volunteer Lily Zheng for coming up with this theme.