Trans Day of Visibility 2026 Statement
Today, March 31st, is International Transgender Day of Visibility.
This day is annually recognized around the world to uplift our trans family, friends, and community members. Despite what some politicians say, trans people are real and in your community right now. Trans people are valuable marching arts community members. Not only for their contributions to the artform, although there are many very skilled and dedicated trans people making such contributions, but just for existing.
Trans people are proof that systems of power which present themselves as natural and eternal are merely constructs which can, and should be, defied and dismantled. When the state can decide what or who a man and woman are, they can decide what you are allowed to do with your body. They can strip bodily autonomy from you at any point for any suspicion. The persistence of trans people to defy gendered expectations and gain their bodily autonomy has benefited everyone and is something we should be grateful for.
To our trans readers today: whether you are visible to everyone around you or just yourself, you are proof that we can persevere. Thank you for being here.
To our cis readers today: what is legal is not what is moral. Do not comply in advance if you receive orders to enforce gender in any way. If you’re in the US, the situation for trans people has and continues to rapidly deteriorate across the country. Find your state on this map to learn about the legal safety for trans people and make judgements on what you can do to help. Donating to local trans organizations doing advocacy, activism, and mutual aid work is always good but you can help with your time too. Many orgs will need hands to help distribute goods or send emails, butts to sit in seats at government meetings for visible support, and feet to hit the streets. Are there no orgs around you? Start small! See what you can do to improve a policy at your school or workplace.
Trans people, and by extension queer people in general, have faced threats before. Colonizers attempted to erase Indigenous gender variance wherever they sought to conquer and did not succeed. Nazi Germany attempted to burn all evidence of scientific research into gender and sexuality and did not succeed. Many governments left queer people for dead during the AIDS crisis but we are still here. Our liberation will not come from a government webpage. It will take everyone, a united queer front and our allies, to get us through to brighter times. Hold hands so you don’t lose your way in the dark.
In solidarity forever,
The MAASIN Queer Caucus