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9 things you can do right now for Transgender Day of Visibility

By Rush Frazier, AIUSA Field Organizer and Tarah Demant, AIUSA Director, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program

1. Include your pronouns when you introduce yourself (and in your email signature, etc). Read more about why pronouns matter for creating a trans-inclusive space.
2. If you misgender someone, don’t panic. Read this to practice how best to respond.
3. Know the difference between gender identity, gender expression, sex assigned at birth, sexuality, and emotional attraction (be sure to notice the explanations below the great gender unicorn graph).
4. During Coronavirus, check-in on all your people, but especially with transgender friends and family, who may be experiencing disruptions in critical healthcare, or who may be isolated and facing unwelcome or even unsafe situations. If appropriate, share this resource with them.
5. Be sure that in our “women’s spaces” (language/work/etc), we are inclusive of trans women. Be conscious of language or work that essentializes women’s identities in a way that excludes trans women. Trans women are women!
6. Watch a movie to learn more! Try: Major! (Amazon Prime); Kiki (Hulu); or The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix).
7. Learn more about trans rights organizations and their work, like the Marsha P. Johnson Foundation
8. Think of and commit to other ways you might be a better ally for transgender people… and know that there is no perfect allyship: allyship is always a daily commitment and work-in-progress!
9. Get involved in the work in your state for trans equality!

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility!