The transgender neighborhood, along with allies, will once again collect on Friday, March 31, to commemorate - - and supporter for their rights.
Dozens of events are prepared throughout the Southland on Friday in honor of International Trans Day of Visibility, an annual occurrence that both commemorates trans and gender-expansive individuals, and raises awareness about the increasing political, social and physical violence targeted toward their neighborhoods.
President Joe Biden provided a pronouncement on Thursday, March 30, recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility. California legislators also acknowledged as Trans Visibility Week with several events at the Capitol.
Trans Day of Visibility was initially established in 2009 by trans activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker, who is the present head of advocacy group Transgender Michigan.
" I wanted to develop a day so we didn't have to be lonesome anymore," Crandall-Crocker wrote in a 2021 article for Them Magazine.
Trans Day of Visibility, considering that its creation more than a years back, has grown in appeal-- with events to both honor and celebrate the lives of trans folks, while also acknowledging that discrimination still avoids many individuals from coming out and living authentically. The day is celebrated around the globe every year on March 31.
With attacks and discriminatory legislation against the LGBTQ neighborhood-- particularly transgender youth and adults-- are on the rise in the United States, Trans Day of Visibility is a vital platform for people within the neighborhood to assert their existence and need human rights, while contacting allies to better support the trans and queer neighborhood, advocates say.
Transgender people are more than four times likelier to be the topic of violent criminal activities, including rape and aggravated assault, than those who are cisgender-- individuals whose gender identity or expression matches their biological sex-- according to a 2021 UCLA School of Law study.
In 2015, at least 38 trans and gender nonconforming individuals were murdered, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The organization noted that number is likely an undercount because some victims' deaths go unreported, while others aren't recognized as being trans or gender nonconforming.
Then there's anti-LGBTQ legislation.
This year alone, there have currently been more than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills presented in state legislatures throughout the United States, according to the Human Rights Campaign-- much of which particularly target young transgender and nonbinary neighborhoods.
Ninety of those costs, HRC said, would avoid trans youth from accessing age-appropriate, gender-affirming and clinically required health care-- 2 of which have already ended up being law-- along with a slew of bathroom restrictions and other anti-LGBTQ expenses.
This year's proposed legislation continues a sharp upward trend in inequitable anit-LGBTQ costs that have been presented in state legislatures because 2021, HRC said.
" These unrelenting attacks on transgender people are triggering real damage even in the states where legislation stops working," Olivia Hunt, policy director for the National Transgender Center for Equality, said in a February HRC news release. "75% of all LGBTQ+ youth say that hate criminal offenses and threats of violence cause tension and anxiety-- and that's not surprising because they're trying to live their lives."
Trans Day of Visibility, on the other hand, is meant to be an answer to the attack of hate targeted towards trans, gender nonbinary and expansive individuals.
" Even though there are a number of costs targeted versus us today, I still think that, since the production of Visibility Day, things truly have actually changed for the much better for the youth," Crandall-Crocker wrote. "I imagine a day when we can simply be humans like everyone else. And I truly do think that will take place."
Here's a take a look at some Trans Day of Visibility events prepared throughout Southern California.
Inland Empire
Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride will host its March for Queer & & Trans Youth Autonomy at 4 p.m. Friday. The demonstrators will put together in downtown
Riverside, outside of Back to the Grind at 3575 University Ave., and march toward City Hall.
Several elected officials, including Councilmember Erin Edwards, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes and Rep. Mark Takano, will speak at the march, according to
Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride's site.
The organizers stated they hope the march will influence a larger dialogue about a series of concerns facing young trans and queer individuals, which vary from ensuring their safety in schools to developing policies that safeguard the right to gender-affirming health care.
" It's time we jointly advocate for trans and queer youth as one," the occasion page said. "Then, we will listen to a few various speakers on the problems facing queer and trans youth today."
More information about that occasion is available on
Riverside Pride's website.
QueerXcellence, an LA neighborhood organization, will host a march in Hollywood called "Trans Day of Vengeance."
There has actually been a misunderstanding around the term "revenge," trans supporters have stated-- with numerous outside of the LGBTQ community presuming the term implies violence. Twitter has actually even eliminated countless tweets and retweets describing "Trans Day of Vengeance."
Ella Irwin, Twitter's head of Trust and Safety, stated in a tweet Wednesday, March 29, that the company instantly eliminated more than 5,000 tweets and retweets of a poster promoting the occasion.
" We do not support tweets that prompt violence regardless of who publishes them," Irwin wrote in the tweet. "‘‘ Vengeance 'does not indicate peaceful protest. Organizing or assistance for serene protests is ok."
But trans people and activists have pointed out that the term has been around within the community for many years, and isn't a call to violence.
"‘ ‘ Trans Day of Vengeance' is not a specific day or a call for violence," said Evan Greer, director of the not-for-profit Fight for the Future. "It's (a) way of revealing anger and frustration about injustice and violence the trans community faces daily.
" Context is whatever in content moderation," Greer included, "which is why content policies should be based in human rights and applied equally, not altered quickly based upon public pressure or news cycles."
The tweets that were eliminated largely described an event planned for Saturday, April 1, by the Trans Radical Activist Network in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
" This protest has to do with unity, not inciting violence. TRAN does not encourage violence and it is not welcome at this occasion," the company wrote on its site. "Our community has a stigma attached and significantly effects marginalized communities at a higher strength."
The organizers of the LA protest, on the other hand, said similar in an Instagram post.
" Trans individuals are getting killed at a terrifying rate. Along with the brand-new legislation, the turn will only worsen," QueerXcellence wrote on its Instagram page. "We decline to reside in worry, we decline to be gotten rid of-- come celebrate Trans Day of Visibility with us … … loudly."
The presentation will start at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue at 5 p.m.
For folks along the coast, the LGBTQ Center
Long Beach will host a Trans Day of Visibility Resource Fair at Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Ave.
" The Resource Fair throughout Trans Day of Visibility will be a time to commemorate the lives and existence of the transgender and gender-expansive neighborhood in
Long Beach," according to Visit Gay
Long Beach.
After the resource fair-- which starts at 2 p.m.-- the event will continue with music and live entertainment from 5 to 9 p.m.
Orange County
The LGBTQ Center Orange County will host an occasion called "Stand in Your Truth," at the Center on 4th, 305 E. Fourth St. in
Santa Ana.
The occasion-- which kicks off at 6 p.m.-- will feature resources for trans folks, live music, an art exhibition, an open mic night and a glam closet, according to the occasion page.
" This occasion is open to everyone who wants to link, share and commemorate the Trans community in a safe and welcoming area," the site stated. "We are excited to offer health and academic resources, in addition to an open mic where community members can sign up and share their poetry, writing, speeches, or experiences."
More info is offered on the LGBTQ Center OC's site.
Virtual events
For those who 'd rather celebrate from home, there are also a couple of virtual events for Trans Day of Visibility prepared over the weekend, starting on Friday.
The Trans Tech Summit is a complimentary annual event that was produced with the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ community in mind. It starts online on Friday.
" The TransTech Summit offers attendees with tools to grow their professions," the occasion website said, "interact with brand-new media technology, network with other LGBTQIA people, learn brand-new abilities, and access extra training tools."
The four-day occasion concludes on Monday, April 3. For a list of occasions, check out the Trans Tech Summit site.
Personnel writer Georgia Valdes and The Associated Press contributed to this report..
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