Trans Day of Visibility: a celebration of gender diversity

Today or any day, go and ask the trans, non-binary, gender diverse people in your life, “What brings you joy?”

If you’ve spent any significant time on social media (or at least the corners of it Lorna and F tend to live on) or read the news recently, you’ve probably seen the alarming state of the world for trans people at the moment. It’s easy to let that pull us down, so for this Trans Day of Visibility, we want to celebrate gender diversity.

There can be real joy in this journey we take to understand ourselves better and live as our true selves, publicly or privately. We asked the trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, agender, genderqueer, any-other-adjective-of-gender-diversity-beyond-the-assigned-gender-binary people of dxw “what does gender euphoria mean to you?”. This is what they said.

No longer feeling like a defective woman, but a part-time woman, part-time gender-free person.

It’s when people find me confusing. When that confusion provides cover and safety to others. When people use my weird new pronouns without prompting or argument. When I find clothes that fit and feel right. When I look in the mirror and think ‘nice rack’. When I feel seen and understood by myself and others.

A feeling in my belly like you get when you see your crush, but when someone uses he/him pronouns on me. Feeling like I’m a part of a secret special society.

That moment when I realised that femininity was something that I put on, like wearing a pair of shoes, and not an indication of being a woman, I felt my whole world open up. Everything just clicked into place and this feeling of lightness and freedom allowed space for joy again.

So, today or any day, go and ask the trans, non-binary, gender diverse people in your life, “What brings you joy?”

And remind them that they have people on their side.

* featured image by Oriel Frankie Ashcroft