Dear John, We are excited to celebrate Transgender Awareness Week (TAW), which takes place every year from November 13-19! The week is dedicated to education about transgender and nonbinary people as well as the important issues facing trans communities across the globe. It culminates with the Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience (TDORR) on November 20. TDORR is a day to remember the lives of those lost due to anti-trans violence and honor the resilience of trans communities. We invite you to make connections with trans and nonbinary people in your area and deepen your understanding of the community. Check out TAW and TDORR events that Virginians can attend. |
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If you know of an event that is not listed on EV’s webpage, please use this google form: bit.ly/TAW-info-2021 or email us at [email protected] to let us know. We will continue to update the website until this Friday at 5:00pm. |
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Trans Awareness Week As many community members have mentioned, trans awareness and visibility can be a double-edged sword where becoming more visible also puts a target on community members in our daily life, state legislatures, workplaces, and in the media. We know that acknowledging trans people exist is not enough. We need authentic understanding, real lasting relationships, and community empowerment. We need cisgender folks to step up - listen to your trans neighbors, family members, and colleagues and push against transphobia and unsafe environments everywhere you go. If you would like to welcome trans and nonbinary speakers to an organization you’re involved with, check out EV’s Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau. Trans and nonbinary folks - especially Black, Indigenous, and brown trans communities - need concrete funding and policies that will save lives and end the epidemics of violence, homelessness, societal neglect, and mental health issues. EV is committed to supporting policies and communities to help make this happen. If you're looking for ideas to support, check out Transgender Law Center’s Trans Agenda for Liberation, put forward by a national coalition of majority Black, Indigenous, and migrant trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming leaders. Transgender Day of Remembrance & Resilience Historically, Trans Day of Remembrance & Resilience has been a somber occasion to mourn those we’ve lost. However, Black and brown trans communities have also called for redefining TDORR to also uplift the resilience of the community and to give trans and nonbinary people their flowers while they are still alive. Community members have shared that it’s not enough to just bring attention to our losses, but to fight like hell for the living until one day we won’t need another TDORR event. We invite you to learn about those who were taken from us too soon and celebrate their life. We also invite you to learn from Black trans and nonbinary community members in Virginia and elsewhere who deserve their flowers now! A great place to start is checking out these TIES 2020 and TIES 2021 keynote speakers: |
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While Trans Awareness Week is just one week, we ask you to join us in carrying its spirit across every day of the year in our mission to build an inclusive and equitable society for all trans and nonbinary Virginians. We look forward to seeing you at an event this week! In Solidarity, Thalia Hernandez
Program Director |
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