At the DC Pride Parade in 2022, Joe Flood, who is licensed under Creative Commons, ripples a trans pride symbol.
We’re sharing our beloved content from 2023 during the holiday season:” D. Taylor Reich builds on the concerns that are rising, even in comparatively liberal areas like DC, about stigmatization and animosity towards gender-non-conforming people, and insists that we belong and we take up space.” This spoke to yet another aspect of my personality that I want urbanists to prepare for and celebrate as a Black nonbinary gay female disabled urbainist. Contributing Editor Kristen Jeffers
Additionally, a previous version of this article was posted on the Transport Matters blog of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy ( ITDP ).
There are two breaks for trans people. Every November 20, the International Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed. It serves as a monument. Almost everyone in the transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer community, including myself, is aware of a friend or lover who passed away before their time, as is statistically likely—a victim of injustice, hate crimes, or inadequate ( mental ) healthcare. On that particular morning, we recall them.
The International Transgender Day of Visibility, however, is a unique holiday that falls on March 31. We commemorate our variety of female on this day, which is also a protest. Being noticeable is usually a rally for transgender and nonbinary people. We run the risk of abuse or violence every time we dress how we want, introduce ourselves with our pronouns, use the appropriate restroom, or implement ourselves in sexist spaces in order to assert our right—one that is so frequently denied—to be who we are in public.
Every display of public opinion is both private and social. We hope that every act of visibility will make us more humane to have cisgender eyes and that, if we observe this holiday for years or decades, eventually there wo n’t be any new victims to remember in November.
Moving to a city makes us more noticeable than any other aspect of daily life, if not more so. We constantly experience cisgender gazes, threats of intimidation or violence, and the impression that people just see us because of our gender when we are walking, biking, or riding public transportation. Our biggest threat could be this, but it could also be our biggest chance. The voice of travel is historical. I believe that if we start to feel secure while traveling, we might start feeling safe at our sites. However, by treating trans people the same as everyone else, cities may make their freedom safe. It is impossible to ask transgender and genderfluid people to conceal their variations. Transgender pedestrians and bicyclists must constantly be included in cities, and transportation must be provided by means that are specifically made for them.
Simply increasing the number of police officers wo n’t solve the problem. Officers frequently commit acts of violence themselves. They can create transgender people feel less safe, not safer. It is necessary to take more complex actions. These might include amenities like gender-neutral restrooms in train stations, as well as male and female property care products like tampons labeled in bathrooms. Gender-neutral single-occupancy bathroom are growing in popularity in my hometown of Washington, DC.
Operational personnel may also be included in these measures, as in India’s Bhubaneswar, where transgender and women have been hired as transportation motorists. Additionally, measures may include designated seats on vehicles, such as in Pakistan’s Peshawar, where transgender passengers may board BRT buses. These actions not only create trans individuals safer on a specific vehicle, but they also convey that they are respected and have dignity in society and in public life.
India’s Bhubaneswar
Photo taken with authority by Capital Region Urban Transport ( CRUT) /ITDP.
The Capital Region Urban Transport ( CRUT) agency in the Bhubaneswar region has been working to increase the safety and affordability of its transportation systems while also giving more women and transgender people employment opportunities. Bhubaneswar, which received an honorable mention for the 2023 Sustainable Transport Award, has been working to modernize and expand its bus services ( Mo-Bus ) with electric vehicles, a focus on passenger comfort and safety, and new video monitoring and emergency assistance systems throughout its vehicles.
Importantly, CRUT has also unveiled the Mo E- Walk fleet of electric three-wheelers ( also known as e-rickshaws or tuks ). These have started to address last-mile connectivity issues in recent years and make sure that all commuters have multi-modal options to carefully get regions not served by the main bus routes. Women and transsexual drivers from low-income communities who have been particularly recruited and trained by CRUT are already driving all of the Mo E-Ride vehicles.
Due to the rise in women and transgender people in the transportation labor, the agency’s 2020 horse study found an increase in reported feelings of health among women commuters. With CRUT’s renewed emphasis on electrification, safety, and inclusion, commuter confidence in the public transportation system of the area has increased overall. In fact, nearly 57 % of riders reported switching from other modes of transportation to the bus system in just the past year, according to city officials. Watch the Green Transport Award meeting video to learn more about Bhubaneswar’s initiatives.
Pakistan’s Peshawar
Image by TransPeshawar, ADB, and ITDP used with authorization.
The City of Peshawar has been a distinct pioneer in addressing the needs of people and transgender individuals in its transportation planning, despite the fact that LGBTQIA + participation has made some progress in recent years. Zu Peshawar, a Bus Rapid Transit ( BRT ) network, was successfully launched in the middle of 2020 and served more than 50 million passengers in its first year. For its efforts to ensure that the Zu Peshawar structure patterns engaged all types of users, with a focus on women, transgender people, and people with disabilities, the state’s TransPeshawAR company received an honorable notice from the 2022 Green Transport Award software.
The organization also developed a Gender Action Plan to serve as an example for putting gender-responsive availability, security, and support measures into practice through proactive neighborhood outreach to disadvantaged groups. The Plan offers sources for seeking support, such as a dedicated phone service, and includes education strategies to raise awareness of the rights and protections of ladies and transgender people. A Safe Travel system was also developed to specifically address problems with abuse, violence, and assault.
Another significant measures include reserved seats on buses especially for trans people and dedicated entrances for women. In order to foster a culture of addition and faith throughout the program, TransPeshawar even set goals for increasing female variety on its employees and to regularly provide gender-sensitivity and equity training for all employees. In the in-depth case study provided by ITDP, learn more about Peshawar’s efforts to promote incorporation.
Visibility in Daily Life
a picture taken at the 2020 National Trans Visibility March in Washington, DC. Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons
Including transgender and genderqueer people in our normal lives even entails acting. This starts in our interpersonal interactions, for you and I. Even if you are transgender, one of the most crucial things we can do is develop the habit of introducing ourselves using our chosen pronouns. Although it can be a little uncomfortable because I frequently struggle to pronounce my pronouns when I introduce myself, every act of awareness is beneficial.
Additionally, you can use their pronouns to present your coworkers and friends. You can write” I’ve cc’d our Communications Manager, Alphonse ( he/him )” in an email. You may say,” You have to meet my friend Jamie,” at a party. She employs either she or they. This can be challenging, so I do n’t expect myself to remember it every time.
However, you should be certain that you are aware of which pronouns your friend really uses primary. This may entail going to one you’ve known for a long time and asking them,” I’m sorry I never asked—what adjectives do you use?” Although it may sound a little absurd, you may convey that shifts are common. Additionally, you may demonstrate your support by giving people a chance to emerge from the shadows.
Every visible action counts. Every trans girl walking home properly, every genderqueer people riding the bus in harmony, and every cisgender man writing “he/him” on his badge are all steps toward a more free world. Let’s observe that presence on March 31.
