Trans activists are using the International Transgender Day of Visibility this year to highlight their lived experience, including recognizing trans people’s positive contributions to society.
That’s one of the factors the day was actually created for.
Trans proponents like Jake Farr say it’s also important to bring attention to the prejudice that some trans, non-binary, and two-spirit people experience every day.
“I’m consistently trying to break down all the myths: ‘we don’t know who we are’ and ‘we must have mental illness’ and those kinds of things,” Farr, a social worker and counselor in Pickering, Ont., told CBC Toronto.
“We’re only human people,” he said. “It really has to stop.”
This week’s Transgender Day of Visibility is particularly important in light of recent government legislation, Farr and others claim, is aimed at trans youth, including Dean Lobo of the Toronto non-profit The 519.
Both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan passed laws mandating parental consent for kids under the age of 16 to change their names and pronouns at school in 2023.
In a statement released earlier this year, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government would create policy to restrict the use of gender-affirming treatment for children in the fall of 2024. This would include requiring schools to inform parents if their child changes their name or pronouns, as well as banning top and bottom surgeries for minors because doctors claim lower surgeries aren’t performed on children and best surgeries are rare, and also requiring them to stop using puberty blockers and hormone therapies for adolescents aged 15 and under.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, however, has earlier said his government has no plans to change the province’s rules around sex-affirming treatment.
Call for obvious allyship
Lobo at The 519 told CBC Toronto that anyone who supports transgender individuals may be concerned about what’s happening elsewhere in the country.
“With all that’s going on in our planet, in our country … it is very, very significant for us to actively advocate clearly for the rights and safety of two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse folks,” he said.
For this year’s moment of visibility, The 519 is encouraging allies to show obvious support for the community, since some trans, non-linear, and two-spirit people don’t feel safe advocating for themselves.
“Ask your employer for gender-inclusive policies, advocate for inclusion at school,” Farr said.
“If you’re an event organizer, an employer, a landlord or a policymaker, whoever you are, it’s important to recognize and understand your privilege in creating and fostering safety and safer spaces for trans folk.”
He also encourages allies to express their support for the community in their own lives and in letters to elected officials.
Celebrating the positives
The Transgender Day of Visibility was started by Michigan-based activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker in 2009 to counter the prevalence of media coverage centered on violence against trans people.
It’s in that spirit that Ottawa’s Fae Johnstone, executive director of The Society of Queer Momentum, a 2SLGBTQ+ non-profit, says she wants people to celebrate the positives of trans life even if it’s less sensational than stories about acts of violence.
She said, “There is just such power in demonstrating the boring side of trans life.” “We are just like every other Canadian, trying to pay our bills, support our families and contribute to our communities”.
Additionally, Johnstone said it’s meaningful to highlight the accomplishments of transgender people.
“I want the world to see trans people making contributions to the arts and culture. We have … incredible poets, writers,” she said.
“We also have people who are creating new technologies and scientific concepts. We have trans folks who are your factory workers, your customer service representatives, your baristas”.
Pflag York Region, one of many GTA organizations observing this year’s day of visibility, says it’s working with Pflag Canada to implement a nationwide lawn sign campaign.
It claims that the campaign will encourage homeowners to display signs that read, “Trans kids deserve to grow old, protect and defend trans children year-round.”
Pflag York Region’s spokesperson told CBC News that it will begin offering free workshops to help educate people and stop spreading false information about the trans community.
