Are You Visible?

There was a movie 1958 called the “Invisible Man” well the antipodean of that is the “Visible Man” instead of being closeted being out in the open. The Transgender Day of Visibility is March 31.

For many of us, myself included it is just another day but for other parts of the country it is a challenge to be out in public now. In Texas. In Florida. In states like Arizona, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Dakota and even New Hampshire it is taking courage to be out with the ramped up violence against us that is being stirred by anti-trans laws.

In the blue states we see cities embracing trans people, while in the red states they are being forced back into the closets.

Transgender Day of Visibility resolution unanimously approved in Washtenaw County
“A symbol of our commitment to fostering a diverse and welcoming community”
WDIV
By Sarah Parlette
March 17, 2022


March 31 will now be known as Transgender Day of Visibility in Washtenaw County.

On Wednesday, the county’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the day and adding it to county calendars for this year and beyond.

A Transgender Pride Flag has been raised at the Washtenaw County Administration Building in Ann Arbor in past years to show solidarity with transgender individuals in the community.

Later this month another flag-raising will commemorate the day of visibility. Details have not yet been announced.

“I am proud to be a part of our community where our elected officials are willing to annually recognize Transgender Day of Visibility and fly the Transgender Pride Flag over our government buildings,” said District 8 Commissioner Jason Morgan in a release. “It’s a symbol of our commitment to fostering a diverse and welcoming community, and a reminder that we have more work to do to improve the lives of transgender individuals in every corner of our County.”

Meanwhile in some red states they have banned flying the trans or Pride flags.

Jersey City to Mark March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility
Tap into Jersey City
By Al Sullivan
March 13, 2022


The Jersey City Municipal Council will mark March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility to honor the achievements and contributions of living members of the transgender and gender-nonconforming community.

International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an annual event dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

In 2021, President Joe Biden officially proclaimed March 31 as a Transgender Day of Visibility, making him the first American president to issue a formal presidential proclamation recognizing the commemoration. 

Meanwhile in Red states they are trying to ban us from saying “Gay” in classrooms.

Last year President Biden issued a proclamation on the TDOV and I imagine he will do it again this year…

A Proclamation on Transgender Day Of Visibility, 2021

MARCH 31, 2021

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

Today, we honor and celebrate the achievements and resiliency of transgender individuals and communities.  Transgender Day of Visibility recognizes the generations of struggle, activism, and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender non-binary people in the United States and around the world.  Their trailblazing work has given countless transgender individuals the bravery to live openly and authentically.  This hard-fought progress is also shaping an increasingly accepting world in which peers at school, teammates and coaches on the playing field, colleagues at work, and allies in every corner of society are standing in support and solidarity with the transgender community.

In spite of our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to freedom and equality.  Transgender Americans of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination.  Nearly one in three transgender Americans have experienced homelessness at some point in life.  Transgender Americans continue to face discrimination in employment, housing, health care, and public accommodations.  The crisis of violence against transgender women, especially transgender women of color, is a stain on our Nation’s conscience.

It is like Dickens's Tale of Two Cities,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Depending on where you live it can be either for us, a living hell or bearable.

Whatever you do on the TDOV be safe.

I will be doing what I always do… being out in the open.