Organizers of a Transgender Day of Visibility rally in Lansing say the event was a “living testament to trans joy, trans resistance and trans community.”
Hundreds gathered on the lawn of the Capitol for around two hours Sunday for a rally featuring speakers, dance breaks and performances by local drag queens.
Transgender Day of Visibility is celebrated internationally every year on March 31 after Michigan resident Rachel Crandall-Crocker founded the holiday in 2009 to create a day focused on the happiness of the transgender and nonbinary communities.
Emme Zanotti, senior director of movement building and political affairs for Equality Michigan, said during the rally that “Trans Day of Visibility certifies that we are here and solidifies that we are to be seen as living, breathing human beings” rather than “just accepting that who we are as human beings is to be hidden, cast aside or kept a deep, dark secret.”
While Trans Unity Coalition founder Bree Taylor said the current political climate is challenging, and transgender people have a right to feel hurt, she said it is important to “find moments of celebration in the midst of adversity and to keep showing up with that joy.”
“When we decide to exist proudly in the public eye, we disrupt every storyline that says we can only be ashamed of ourselves or invisible,” Taylor said.
Audra Wilson, who represents the transgender community on Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Commission, said events like the rally provide a safe space for people to find a sense of belonging with other members of the community and allies.
“This is somewhere where, even though we’re out in public, people get to be themselves. People get to feel safe. People get to be seen and be visible,” Wilson said.
But creating a sense of community is just as important for people who may not be as comfortable sharing their identity publicly, Crossroads founder Grace Bacon said, encouraging the crowd to host small gatherings and be intentional about forming friendships.
“We have to ferret out the people who are scared to come out, give them a place to be, a time to be, so that they can be themselves for a little while,” Bacon said.
Roz Keith, the founder of Stand with Trans, said that her goal when her son came out as transgender was to ensure that he felt supported and safe in his identity.
“What I learned through this journey is that being transgender is not about changing who you are, it’s about becoming who you have always been,” Keith said.
Taylor compared people’s gender identities to their religion.
“It’s something that can’t be casually changed because someone else disapproves,” Taylor said. “It is foundational to who we are, just like any belief that forms the very core of our own existence.”
But while Zanotti said celebrating trans joy has been meaningful, she added that it’s just the first step towards true acceptance.
“If these next generations are simply visible, it will not be enough,” Zanotti said. “It will now be our mission and our responsibility to make sure that transgender people are not just seen, but to make sure we are heard, and to make damn sure that we are understood.”
