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International Transgender Day of Visibility 2023

International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) is an event celebrated annually on 31 March, shining a spotlight on trans and gender non-conforming people around the globe.

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What is International Transgender Day of Visibility?

Founded by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a Michigan-based psychotherapist, the International Transgender Day of Visibility was established in response to the lack of an event to honour trans folk, and to complement its autumn counterpart, the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR).

Rachel has discussed the origin of the day, saying “I was upset that the only day that we had was Transgender Day of Remembrance, because I tend to get really depressed on that day. I wanted a day when, rather than talking about those who passed away, we could talk about those of us who were alive. And I wanted a day that would bring together trans people from all over the world.”

The first step to Empowerment is Visibility.

International Transgender Day of Visibility was created as a day to visibly celebrate being transgender, and also for allies to show their support for the transgender community.  

TDoV is a day that continues that shines a spotlight on trans and gender non-conforming people around the globe, to celebrate and recognise their achievements as well as raising awareness of the issues this diverse community continues to face, including combating transphobia, discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our trans community

At Queen Mary we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves and be treated with kindness, dignity and respect and the contributions of our trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming staff and students are celebrated.

Re-published last year, our Trans Inclusion Statement of Commitment 2022 [PDF 237KB] lays out the University’s balanced approach and position to trans inclusion. As well as synthesising our legal duties it further incorporates our Values (Inclusive, Proud, Ambitious, Collegial, Ethical).

What can our community do to celebrate TDoV?

Learn about what we mean by the term trans

Trans is an umbrella term which describes people whose gender identity does not align with the sex/gender they were assigned at birth.

For example, a trans woman could be a person who was assigned male at birth but identifies as a woman.

This definition includes people who identify as non-binary (those whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with the binary of ‘man’ or ‘woman’), genderqueer, genderfluid and agender.

Gender identity is a person’s internal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex/gender they were assigned at birth.

Transitioning refers to the steps a trans person may take to live fully in their gender identity, whatever that means to them. Everybody’s transition is different.

Transitioning can include:

  • Social transition (eg changes in name, pronouns, presentation)
  • Legal transition (eg changing legal name and gender)
  • Medical transition (eg taking hormones and/or having 'top' and/or 'bottom' surgery to change your body)

Not everybody will do all or any of the steps above, but that does not invalidate their gender.

You can find out more by reading our LGBTQIA+ Glossary of Terms [PDF 280KB].

Listen to trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming voices telling their own stories

This is one of the most important things you can do to find out more about the community. As part of celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month 2023, Queen Mary published a list of media recommendations. Many of these explore the lived experiences of trans people and are a great place to start.

A couple of examples include:

  • Non-Binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities by edited by Jos Twist, Ben Vincent, Meg-John Barker and Kat Gupta

    Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community . Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a revolutionary resource-a comprehensive, reader-friendly guide for transgender people, with each chapter written by transgender or genderqueer authors.

    There is no one way to be transgender. Transgender and gender non-conforming people have many different ways of understanding their gender identities. Only recently have sex and gender been thought of as separate concepts, and we have learned that sex (traditionally thought of as physical or biological) is as variable as gender (traditionally thought of as social).
  • Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows by Christine Burns

    Trans Britain chronicles this journey in the words of those who were there to witness a marginalised community grow into the visible phenomenon we recognise today: activists, film-makers, broadcasters, parents, an actress, a rock musician and a priest, among many others.

Please note: These resources have been gathered via suggestions from the Queen Mary community and variety of wider sources: the views shared within individual recommendations do not represent that of Queen Mary.

What can you do to support the trans community at Queen Mary?

Challenging transphobia and being a trans ally

Transphobia is unlawful prejudice against trans people, and may be realised through acts of discrimination, bullying and harassment.

If you experience or witness transphobia, you can report it (anonymously if you like) and / or access support through the Queen Mary Report+Support tool

  • Read and share our Being a Trans Ally leaflet [PDF]: find out what we mean by ‘trans’ and what you can do to be a trans ally
  • Read and share our #PronounsMatter leaflet [PDF]: find out what pronouns are, how to use them, and why they matter as well as how you can show your support for gender diverse staff and students.

Resources and support

Internal resources and support for students

External resources

Galop

Community safety charity for LGBT people giving advice and support to people who have experienced biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence or domestic abuse. Galop also supports LGBT who encounter problems with the police or have questions about the criminal justice system.

Gender Identity Research & Education Society (GIRES)

A UK wide organisation whose purpose is to improve the lives of trans and gender non-conforming people of all ages, including those who are non-binary and non-gender.

Gendered Intelligence (GI)

A not-for-profit Community Interest Company. Their aim to increase understandings of gender diversity. GI work with the trans community and those who impact on trans lives, specialising in supporting young trans people aged 8-25.

Mermaids

Supports young gender variant people.

Press for Change (PFC)

PFC is a key lobbying and legal support organisation for Trans people in the UK. They provide legal advice, training, and research for trans people, their representatives. PFC has worked regularly with the government and partner trans organisations to inform government legislation affecting the trans community.

Switchboard

Switchboard is a helpline provides a one-stop listening service for LGBT.

TransBareAll

A trans led, voluntary organisation that works with trans people to explore feelings and decisions around bodies, sexual health and intimacy. TransBareAll believes in improving the health and wellbeing of trans people and provide a space for trans people to discuss and explore things that impacts their lives.

TransUnite

A comprehensive resource for people in the UK searching for support in the transgender community. TransUnite connects you to a network of groups throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and can be split into physical local and online groups.

 

 

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