Trans Day of Visibility, an internet holiday that celebrates and showcases transgender individuals, is celebrated annually on March 31. It is the one day a year dedicated to trans people sharing their stories and being seen and heard for their identities, for what has made them who they are.
Trans visibility is important for multiple reasons. For one, it aids in normalizing the existence of trans people and our experiences. With more people talking about their transitions and experiences being trans, coming out and being out seems a lot less daunting.
Visibility is important for those who are unsure of their gender identity, so they can see that there are options aside from cisgender (or, your gender assigned to you at birth). Visibility of other trans people alleviates some stress and pressure in one’s own coming out journey. Visibility can help someone who is trans realize that a lot sooner, too; if someone doesn’t have out and visible people like them to look to, or even just the knowledge of people like them existing, they have no way of knowing what their feelings or hunches mean, or they may not feel safe expressing them.
Additionally, visibility is important for cisgender people, especially parents and guardians, to see that it is okay and perfectly normal and acceptable for their child or other children in their lives to be trans and/or questioning their identity. It also gives parents some insight into their child’s identity if they are trans, and eases the transition experience on all fronts. Trans kids face a lot of adversity and flack for their identities, in part because their family and other adults are generally unaware or uninformed on issues such as these.
While it is just one day a year, Trans Day of Visibility is so incredibly important for trans people and those in their lives.
To end this article:
Hi, my name is Elliot, and I am a trans man. I came out as trans in August 2019, but I’ve known I am trans since 2014. It has been a rough several months, but it has also been rewarding, and I wouldn’t change my experiences or my identity for anything. I am out, and I am proud. I, and others like me, are going to continue to be out and proud; trans people are not going anywhere.