Transdgender Day of Visibility

Today is March 31st, the day is not just any other march day it is the day we call International Transgender Day of Visibility. It’s a day in the year set aside to be visible, to stop and pause, to think about where we are as people, where we are as community where we are in terms of equality and of course where we are in terms of personal safety to be who we are.

One of the things with the Transgender community is we don’t all want to be visible, we don’t all want to be advocates and out and proud about our trans histories. It is important to acknowledge this right from the get go, right from. the start and affirm that as a valid choice for a trans or gender diverse person to make. It’s their life after all.

It’s not my choice. I think I am an advocote or activist at heart. The idea of not being visible is something that sits completely outside of my frame of reference of how to do life. I imagine this is influenced by the reality of hiding my true self for so long, hiding it so effectively I had almost successfully hidden it from myself. No longer am I ever going to pretend I am something that I am fundamentally not.

For me today is a day to be even more visible than ever. I am pretty visible. I am active in my workplace I fly a trans flag at my desk, I wear a trans coloured lanyard around my workplace everyday, over the last several days my story has been up on a large poster in the foyer of my workplace where at least 4000 people walk past each day.

I had to ask myself the question, today, how is it that I be that little bit visible, and it occurred to me that it was in a few of the little things. Like on going for coffee to take my laptop and open it proudly with it’s “trans rights are human rights” sticker on it — normally I would just use my ipad in this situation. On getting ready to leave this morning it was that making a decision to go super light on in the makeup department, a very light coverage with no contouring no eye makeup no mascara etc.

Sure they’re just little things but they are things that make sure I am visible. I live my life out and proud and so it is not like there are huge things I can do that make me any more visible than I already am.

In all of this I must acknowledge my privelege. I live in a place where it is generally safe to be visible, to publicly live my life as my true self. Not everyone has this privelege and this must be acknowledged. It is my hope that trans people that want to be visible do so at an appropriate level of safety today.

If you choose to be visible today on this day of visibility please do so safely. Don’t place yourself in personal danger. Be safe. The world is a better place with you in it. The tragegy of our tribe being assaulted and murdered is a massive tragedy and the last thing we want is that terrible number to grow today of all days.

On this transgeder day of visibility let’s all be as visible as it is safe to be. Let’s celebrate ourselves and by joyful in our freedom to be who we are. Let’s steel ourselves to to continue to fight and advocate for those that do not have that freedom.

May it be that someday we can all just be and live the truth that is within us.