March 31 is the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility, a time to celebrate our transgender and gender diverse friends, family, and community members. Founded by transgender activist Rachel Crandall in 2009, Transgender Day of Visibility was created to highlight the many contributions transgender people have made to society and emphasize the continued fight for transgender rights around the globe.
Crandall founded Transgender Day of Visibility because, until then, the only internationally recognized event centered on the transgender community was the Transgender Day of Remembrance. While that day remains an important yearly observance, it is focused on remembering the victims of transphobic violence. Crandall rightfully believed that too often, the stories of transgender and gender diverse people are only told in the context of hate crime reports.
This day stands as a celebration of a vibrant transgender community that continues to thrive, grow, and advocate for their rights. Transgender folks have made incredible strides in recent years, breaking down barriers in the worlds of television, film, theatre, politics, sports, business, and so much more.
Here at Fenway Health, our transgender and gender diverse staff members do incredible work across our many programs and services, and our transgender and gender diverse patients and clients are beloved members of our Fenway family.
To mark this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility, we’ve created a series of graphics featuring quotes from famous transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse people. These folks come from a wide range of backgrounds, careers, ages, and identities, but they all have one thing in common: they have made the world a better place by living proudly and authentically in their truth. We’ll be sharing these graphics across social media – and we encourage you to do the same! You can download all 15 graphics here.
While there is still much work to be done here and abroad to end discrimination against transgender people, let us take a moment to reflect on and honor the amazing, hard fought victories won so far. And then, let us recommit to fighting for the rights of our transgender and gender diverse communities, today and every day.