Transgender Day of Visibility was created by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a day of positivity for the trans community.[1]  It aims to build resilience, uplift and inspire people through showcasing trans joy and celebrating gender non-confirming goodness.  It also helps raise awareness of trans issues and reminds us that trans lives should not have to be half-lived[2] or ended by violence.[3]

It is a day to celebrate how far we have come, and the work we have yet to do.  It’s a day where I feel closer to the future I want – the world I see when I am with people I love and can relax into my truest self; the one I impatiently waited for while I completed my census to reflect my gender as best I could; it is the future I desperately hope for on days where I feel unheard or unseen.  I think it might bear some resemblance to the world you dream of too, and it’s a future we can build together.

Everyone (regardless of their gender identity) can take something away from Transgender Day of Visibility as it gives us the opportunity to learn more about one another, and the different facets of human experience.  So why not take some time today to revisit or learn more about the people, identities and language we’ve featured in our videos?

Anne (they/she)

Community Wellbeing Development Worker (Your Space)

Video descriptions

The Trans Day of Visibility FAQs short video explores some of the terms used around this day which may be helpful to those less familiar with trans identities and language.

In response to TDoV, Trans people are… is a short video highlighting the variety of things trans people are in addition to being trans.  It’s a reminder that we’re walking alongside one another in day to day life – contributing to communities, entertaining people, saving lives and much more besides.

[1] Note: there is a singular trans community as much as any one characteristic constitutes a community – some experiences may be similar because of this, but overall our views, identities and situations will vary wildly.

[2] Many trans folk feel they have to hide their identity in some way, for example – half of trans people (51 per cent) have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination.  Source: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/lgbt-britain-trans-report.  The challenges trans folk face impacts on mental health too, with almost half (48%) of trans people in Britain have attempted suicide at least once and more than half (55%) have been diagnosed with depression at some point.  Source: https://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/trans_mh_study.pdf.

[3] It’s been reported that at least 350 trans and gender-diverse people were killed between October 2019 and September 2020 worldwide. The true number may be much higher as not all crimes are reported, nor are trans people’s identities always acknowledged when recording their deaths.  Source: https://tgeu.org/tdor/ .