April 3rd – Transgender visibility day

April 3rd is Transgender visibility day – dedicated to transgender, transsexual and gender-nonconforming people, or in short, trans people.

 As opposed to the Transgender day of remembrance (November 20th) of people who are no longer among us due to violence caused by transphobia, Transgender visibility day is focused on the present, on raising the voice of trans people and raising awareness for the existence of trans people in society, their rights and needs. It is a day celebrating the existence of trans people, their diverse identities and what they strive for – equality, with focus on the good things in the trans community, not only remembering those who lost their lives due to transphobia.

In a situation which contains many types of resistance and attempts to marginalize the trans population, it is important to work on visibility. In the world, as a result of trans activism, there is great progress in the area of legal changes and regulating the rights of trans people. There are countries in which nothing is regulated, and there are countries where one can fully change their documentation without any pre-conditions.

In our country, the battle for trans rights is still at the beginning. Gender identity is not listed as a category in the Law on protection against discrimination. Trans people are almost invisible, with the exception of several interviews, which occasionally appear in the media, sometimes with sensationalist titles, and often with negative comments.

The LGBTI Centre calls upon all trans people and their supporters, families, friends, medical professionals of all specialties, legal experts, to join us in the movement for visibility and equality. There are many changes to be made in the legal and health system, but also in the mentality of the people themselves.

If you are visible – you exist, and if you exist, you have rights.

Link to the trans support group page