Trans Day of Visibility
Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) takes place every 31 March. It marks a time to celebrate trans and non-binary people, and to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by the community worldwide. Trans Day of Visibility has become an important date for trans people to celebrate who they are and encourage allies to voice solidarity with the trans community
Rachel Crandall-Crocker founded the International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, 2009. She chose March because she didn’t want to step on the toes of any other events, like Transgender Day of Remembrance or Pride Month. Rachel settled on March 31, and then began contacting people all over the world on Facebook, telling them about her idea and asking them to participate. For the first year, the celebrations were small. However, by the following year it grew much larger. She tirelessly kept contacting everyone about the date and within a few years the event had widespread recognition and was being celebrated by people across the world.
Rachel had personal reasons for creating the day. She recalls when she came out 1997:
‘I was very, very lonely. I wanted to create a day so we didn’t have to be lonely anymore’.
‘I thought about creating the International Transgender Day of Visibility for a number of years. 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 event Rachel has created is one of positivity and raising awareness. Trans Day of Visibility has become an important date for trans people to celebrate who they are and encourage allies to voice solidarity with the trans community.
References
- TDOV Founder Rachel Crandall-Crocker Agrees That Visibility Is A “Double-Edged Sword”
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The history behind International Transgender Day of Visibility
Rachel Crandall Crocker is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in transgender issues.
She is an international transgender activist, and the founder of the International Transgender Day of Visibility.
