“Visibility is a lot more palatable than action; and if you unfocus your eyes, you might even be able to confuse the former for the latter.” — Nour Abi Nakhoul
Today is Trans Day of Visibility, a day to notion towards trans solidarity.
And yet, today feels confusing for many trans and gender-diverse communities. What kind of harm is reproduced when we acknowledge visibility without doing anything to actively change the lives of trans folks? Even though today is a “sympathetic nod [towards acceptance and equity] it should not be confused with a helping hand.” (Nour Abi Nakhoul).
Acknowledgement is not action and action is not substantial enough unless it can address systemic forms of injustice facing all trans communities — Black, Indigenous, Asian, dis/abled and those most severely impacted by COVID, capitalism and colonialism.
Many trans folks are tired of being visible and at worst, hyper-visible; a target for violence, harassment and gaslighting by institutions who recognize their existence but do little to nothing to change it.
Visibility and representation is not the same as action. It is not the same as healthcare, community housing, community safety and anti-racist/anti-colonial curricula. Visibility is not justice, survival is not thrival.
Today is a political statement, one that we take seriously as a call and demand for action on behalf of our research team, the families we have worked with and the youth we continue to teach everyday. So, ask yourself, what can you do to demand action for transgender communities?
XtraMagazine TDOV
Open Letter to Support Trans Youth (please sign)
Trans Toolkit Collective
*also see the resources page on our website
Today is Trans Day of Visibility, a day to notion towards trans solidarity.
And yet, today feels confusing for many trans and gender-diverse communities. What kind of harm is reproduced when we acknowledge visibility without doing anything to actively change the lives of trans folks? Even though today is a “sympathetic nod [towards acceptance and equity] it should not be confused with a helping hand.” (Nour Abi Nakhoul).
Acknowledgement is not action and action is not substantial enough unless it can address systemic forms of injustice facing all trans communities — Black, Indigenous, Asian, dis/abled and those most severely impacted by COVID, capitalism and colonialism.
Many trans folks are tired of being visible and at worst, hyper-visible; a target for violence, harassment and gaslighting by institutions who recognize their existence but do little to nothing to change it.
Visibility and representation is not the same as action. It is not the same as healthcare, community housing, community safety and anti-racist/anti-colonial curricula. Visibility is not justice, survival is not thrival.
Today is a political statement, one that we take seriously as a call and demand for action on behalf of our research team, the families we have worked with and the youth we continue to teach everyday. So, ask yourself, what can you do to demand action for transgender communities?
XtraMagazine TDOV
Open Letter to Support Trans Youth (please sign)
Trans Toolkit Collective
*also see the resources page on our website
photo credit:PinkNews
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