Life

11 Poignant Tweets From Trans Day Of Visibility

by James Hale

It's International Transgender Day of Visibility, which means your feeds are likely to be flooded with trans folks celebrating and supporting one another, but also mourning those we've lost and calling attention to challenges trans people face every day. Today is about paying attention to Trans Day of Visibility tweets and other social media posts from trans folks and trans-led organizations, because today we're talking about what being trans is like on the daily, and what our community needs to continue fighting for equality.

For me, this Trans Day of Visibility is the first since my legal name change, and comes shortly before I begin taking hormone replacement therapy. Changing my legal name opened me up to a kind of constant suspicion, not to mention all the well-meaning but ultimately depressing comments about my "unusual name for a girl." And to be honest, despite being nonbinary and not shy about correcting people on the internet who misgender me, I often let it slide IRL. I don't explain to the customer service representative who makes an awkward joke, to the coffee shop barista who writes "Jane" on my cup, to the courier who hesitates to give me my package.

Sometimes, it just doesn't feel worth it. But on this Trans Day of Visibility, I'm reminding myself that to correct those people, to tell them, "This is my name, and this is who I am, please get over it," is not overreaching. I'm not burdening anyone by asking to be called "them," and that goes for all other trans folks as well. Today is a day for us to remind ourselves we deserve basic decency and consideration. To remember all the folks who came before us accomplished, and what we're accomplishing now. To remember how strong we are.

Here are tweets that show we're here, we're fighting for each other, and we're not going anywhere.

1

All Together Now

A good reminder that an activist means embracing intersectionality.

2

Can't Ban This

In light of the current administration's ongoing attempts to keep trans folks out of the military, it's especially important for us to celebrate and thank trans servicemembers, whether or not they're able to be visible today.

3

Nonbinary Represent

Because saying you support "transgender men and women" doesn't cut it in 2018.

4

Rocking It

As we've seen from trans folks embracing the #2012vs2018 hashtag, the glow up is real.

5

Sometimes Visible Isn't Possible...

...and that is perfectly OK.

6

Science Gals

Trans visibility + women in STEM = true excellence.

7

It's Never Too Late

It is never too late to transition. And to that point, it's never too late to realize you're trans.

8

Advocacy Heroes

Today is also a day to thank the most visible of us, who often put themselves in harm's way by being vocal and visible 24/7/365.

9

Visibility & Viability

The hard truth is that many trans folks need viable income more than they need a day of visibility. If you're able, donate to trans-supporting organizations or check out #transcrowdfund to donate directly to people who need it right now.

10

The Hero's Burden

Because not all heroes wear capes — sometimes, they wear incredible sweaters, too.