A Day of Celebration and Story
Sixteen years ago, Rachel Crandall-Crocker longed for a reason for transgender people to come together in joy—to have a moment of communal celebration. So she created one.
“I’d been wanting there to be a special day for us for a long time,” she told The 19th, an independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on gender, politics, and policy.
“And I was waiting and waiting for someone else to do it. And then finally I said: ‘I’m not waiting any more. I’m going to do it.’”
In 2009, the only widely observed annual event for transgender communities was Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), held each November 20th to honor transgender people lost to violence. It had begun a decade earlier, after the 1998 murder of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman in Boston. She was misgendered in the press. Trans women and allies marched through Hester’s Boston neighborhood in protest—and Transgender Day of Remembrance was born.
Crandall-Crocker imagined an additional day, to celebrate the living—to affirm trans lives and connect communities across the globe. From her home, she organized the first International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), and March 31 became a day of celebration and solidarity.
Today, millions recognize TDOV. Major LGBTQ+ organizations host events and panels, and trans pride colors—pink, blue, and white—appear on flags, lights, pins, and T-shirts around the world.
This year, TDOV arrives in the midst of a profoundly different and more difficult political landscape. New laws and executive orders are creating significant obstacles for transgender individuals and their families. Celebration, storytelling, solidarity, and advocacy are more vital than ever.
I write more about the executive orders and their impact here: “Executive Orders Impacting Transgender People & Their Loved Ones.”
Visibility as Resistance
International Transgender Day of Visibility is not only a celebration—it is an act of resistance. In 2021, I wrote that there were 93 anti-trans bills introduced in the U.S. That number felt staggering then.
In 2024, a record-breaking 692 anti-transgender bills were introduced across the country. Fifty-two of those became law in 17 states.
Journalist and transgender rights advocate Erin Reed tracks this legislation and offers tools for understanding the risks. Here is the March update of her Anti-Trans National Risk Assessment Map: “Anti-Trans National Risk Assessment.”
Transgender People Have Always Been Here
I recently attended a preview of Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary on the Revolutionary War, held at Richmond’s Altria Theatre. The film didn’t mention them, but as I watched depictions of that era, I was reminded of the Public Universal Friend, a powerful gender-nonconforming minister.
After surviving a near-fatal illness in 1776, the Friend—assigned female at birth—shed their name, rejected all gendered pronouns, and began a public ministry as a genderless, spirit-led preacher. Wearing long black robes, they preached repentance and equality across New York and New England, gathering a devoted following even as they endured ridicule from the press.
Learn more:
American Historical Association
Museum of the American Revolution
They were one of America’s first known gender-nonconforming public figures—at the very founding of our nation.
And their story is not unique. Long before the U.S. existed, Two-Spirit people were recognized in many Indigenous nations in the land now called North America.
These individuals, who embodied both masculine and feminine spirits (or identities beyond the binary), were honored as spiritual leaders, healers, and visionaries in their communities.
Learn more:
Indian Health Service: Two-Spirit
Indian Health Service: Two-Spirit Resources
Hope Through Story
Here’s what gives me hope in the face of so much pain: the power of story. I’ve seen how stories change hearts—how even those who once stood in opposition can be transformed.
On March 6, 2025, Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker in Montana, and CJ Howell, non-binary lawmaker, also in Montana, gave impassioned speeches against anti-trans bills. Some Republican lawmakers who initially supported anti-trans legislation changed their votes after hearing testimony. One Republican gave a scathing rebuke of the sponsor of the bills.
Twenty-nine Republicans defected, stopping two extreme bills.
Then there’s Larry Jones, a devout conservative Christian. He once believed that being transgender was sinful. Invited to testify against trans rights at a legislative hearing, he showed up ready to do just that. But as he listened to stories from trans people and their loved ones, something broke open inside him.
Read more: “Man planning to testify in favor of anti-trans bill ends up apologizing to trans people instead”
When it was his turn to speak, he stood at the microphone and said simply:
“I’m sorry. I just can’t do this.”
He came to speak against trans people—and instead, walked away transformed. He now advocates for transgender rights, particularly within faith communities.
“I started listening,” Larry Jones told CNN. “And what I heard broke my heart.”
Coming together and being visible is especially important this year. The current US political situation and the increase in executive orders, legislation and federal policies attacking trans civil rights underlines the importance of this year’s TDOV.
International Transgender Day of Visibility is a call to action not just for the trans community but for all of us who support the idea that all Americans should be free to pursue “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
On this Transgender Day of Visibility, I invite you to take action:
Share trans voices. Uplift the words, art, and leadership of trans people in your community.
Learn and educate. Especially in faith spaces—study what love truly demands.
Call your legislators. Tell them that you oppose bills that harm transgender people.
Support trans-led organizations with your donations, time, and voice.
Tell your story. If you’ve had a change of heart, say so. You never know who needs to hear it.