The transgender day of visibility was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall, who hoped to celebrate the lives of transgender people while acknowledging the discrimination they face.
Many people do not actually know any transgender people personally, and rely on media representations to form their opinions, which can feature harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations of the trans experience. Transgender people in fiction were historically shown as a joke, or depicted as predatory and dangerous. Trans representation has slowly improved over time, but authentic stories can still be few and far between, and organizations like GLAAD have noted a decrease in trans characters on television in recent years.
In news media, stories regarding transgender people frequently fail to include their perspectives, which can be particularly damaging when discussing anti-trans legislation. This helps to explain why the transgender community is often scapegoated and misunderstood by people who have never actually interacted with them. Transgender people also face higher rates of violence, particularly black trans women.
According to census data from 2021, transgender people make up approximately 0.33% of the Canadian population. Their community is beautifully diverse, but cisgender people do not always make the effort to understand this community on its own terms. Resources for understanding gender diversity can be found from various organizations, including GLAAD and The Trevor Project. If you hear a negative generalization about the trans community, look for reputable, affirming sources which can provide context and debunk myths.
If you would like to hear trans stories in movies or TV, check out Will & Harper (2024), A Man Called Otto (2022), and many others. Books about the trans experience can be found in our church library, such as This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. Beyond fiction, it is also important to seek out perspectives of trans public figures, such as this article about Canadian actor Elliot Page.