This year’s Trans Day of Visibility to focus on trans people surviving and thriving
Image: Image: Dean Arcuri.
This Saturday is International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).
Occurring every year on March 31, the day is dedicated to celebrating trans people and raising awareness of the discrimination they face worldwide.
“It’s about celebrating transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary lifestyles and raising awareness to the wider community that we are out there, and the specific health needs that we have,” said Dylan Barrett from the Queensland AIDS Council, in an interview with Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ.
“Some of us aren’t visible any other day of the year, and it gives people that opportunity to engage with others in the community when they may otherwise not.”
This year’s theme is ‘surviving, thriving’ (using #TransThriving for social media), recognising the achievements of the trans community in the last year.
Groups around the country are celebrating this TDOV with a range of community events for trans people and friends—here’s a selection of what’s happening.
In Brisbane, the UQ Ally Network and the UQU Queer Collective are holding a picnic today (Thursday) between 11 am and 12 noon at the UQ Union Hub on the St Lucia campus.
Many Genders One Voice is hosting a community barbecue from 12 noon to 3 pm on Saturday. The free event will be at Roma Street Parkland, marked by pink, white and blue balloons.
In Cairns, the Queensland AIDS Council is celebrating with a TDOV barbecue next Saturday April 7 from 12 noon. Come along for plenty of good food and music.
In Melbourne, Queerspace and Queerspace Youth are holding an afternoon celebration today (Thursday) from 2pm to 5pm. The event will be hosted by singer Mama Alto, and the documentary Black Divas will be screened.
Youth group Ygender is holding a movie day from 2 pm Saturday for trans and gender diverse young people and friends aged under 25. The animated film Coco will be screened with subtitles in a wheelchair-accessible venue with gender neutral bathrooms and quiet space available.
In Perth, TransFolk of WA is holding a festival of inclusion from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday. The day promises plenty of music, games and food, with a huge lineup of local entertainers. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration of our trans community and friends.
