Reclaiming Joy for Trans Day of Visibility
TDoV is a time to celebrate the joy & jubilation of trans lives!
Since 2009, March 31st has been recognized annually as Transgender Day of Visibility. Creator Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a trans woman from Michigan, wanted a special day to celebrate trans people—not just mourn them. Until 2009, the only annual celebration centered around trans identity was Transgender Day of Remembrance, a solemn occasion to remember those gender diverse people—especially Black trans women—who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence. While vitally important to raise awareness regarding the dangers of transphobic rhetoric and honor the lives lost to the violence inspired by transphobia, it is nonetheless a somber event. “I wanted a day that we can celebrate the living, and I wanted a day that all over the world we could be all together,” Crandall-Crocker said.
It's yearly timing is born from the need to give space between Trans Day of Remembrance in November and Pride month in June. This way, folks can more easily create time and space to celebrate the lives and lived experiences of trans people today.
2025 was a very difficult year for transgender people in the U.S. and Great Britain. 2026 continues to be challenging. An onslaught of hateful language, fear-mongering, disinformation, and anti-trans legislation seeks to erase trans people from public life and relegate genderqueerness writ large invisible. Despite this, there are countless organizations, judicial processes, activists, and families that have done incredible work to protect trans folks of all ages and walks of life.
In the face of so much targeted hate and cruel media narratives, it can be easy, even tempting, to give in to despair.
Transgender Day of Visibility is a chance to openly rebuke that despair; it's a chance to look in the face of adversity and say, "I find joy and pride in being trans" or "I wholeheartedly love my trans child" or "I celebrate the beauty of my trans partner" or "I support the security, dignity, and happiness of my transgender neighbors" or any other expression of love & jubilation around trans, non-binary, and genderqueer lives!
To be trans is a fascinating, unique experience that gives us insights into gender, gender roles, and the embodied human experience that cisgender people simply don't experience. To be trans is to take the clay of human life and mold it into the form that gives you the greatest expression of your authentic self! To be trans is to look into the abyss of the human psyche and ask the terrifying question "Who am I?" and unflinchingly seek its answer. To be trans is to join an incredible history of community-building, activism, collective care, mutual aid, and historic resilience.
To be trans is a blessing and to love a trans person is divine! Not just romantic love, but platonic love, familial love, and self-love!
Local Dracut Event & Other TDoV Events~
In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, Rainbow Dracuteers will host a public screening of the critically acclaimed 2024 documentary Will & Harper at the Dracut public library on March 31st! The event is free and open to the public. The door opens at 5:30pm. Light refreshments provided.
Official Trailer for Will & Harper
In this intimate portrayal of friendship, transition and America, Will Ferrell and his close friend of thirty years [Harper Steele] decide to go on a cross-country road trip to explore a new chapter in their relationship. (IMDB)
In addition to our own local event, there are a few other events we'd love to highlight for trans, non-binary, & gender variant Dracuteers or Greater Lowell residents:
- Transgender Day of Visibility Resource Fair & Social will be held on Saturday, March 28th from 1pm-5pm on 401 Bridge St in Salem, MA. This is a lovely community gathering which will have a variety of fun and affirming activities!
- Transgender Day of Visibility Panel Discussion: Transgender & Nonbinary 101 will be held on Sunday, March 29th at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts in Chelmsford, MA from 2pm-4pm. Learn more about the lives and experiences of local trans and enby residents!
- A LGBTQ+ Health Fair is coming up on April 4th from 10am to 1pm in New Bedford, MA. Vendors, guest speakers, and performances will help connect people with proper health services, affirming health professionals, and proper information on how best to serve the LGBTQ+ community.
MA-based events for TDoV within driving distance of Dracut
Remember always that the rot of hate wants us tired, despairing, and hopeless. But hope can always be found. Whimsy, happiness, joy—these things are created with intention. In the face of the rising tide of fascism and hate, to openly celebrate the joy of being trans or non-binary or genderqueer is, in itself, an act of beautiful resistance.
For this and every Trans Day of Visibility, may you reclaim joy for yourself and our community!
Lastly, I gift all of you with a wonderful poem by Indigiqueer artist & trans elder Ty Defoe:
You are unfolding,
like a flower that hasn’t yet decided
which direction the sun will call it.
Don’t be afraid to explore,
to stretch your wings in a thousand directions,
even those the world hasn’t named yet.
There are paths you haven’t seen,
roads that haven’t been built,
but they will be,
Listen closely to yourself,
the quiet voice that whispers
through the noise of others’ expectations,
the one that knows what you need,
even when the world is unsure.
Reach out to those who know
the weight of questions and the beauty of becoming.
Let their stories mingle with yours,
creating a tapestry of connection.
And remember,
there is no rush to arrive,
no deadline for who you are meant to be.
You are already enough,
just as you are,
and always, always,
you are becoming.
–Ty Defoe, Poem Shared on GLAAD's Trans Day of Visibility: A Message from 6 Trans Community Elders (2025)
RESOURCES
Kate Sosin
Debi Jackson
For peer-support, phone, or chat services, gender diverse folks young & old are welcome to call Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; text THRIVE to 313-662-8209 to chat with someone via SMS text; or visit the LGBT National Help Center online chat to communicate with someone over the web. These resources are available for support beyond crisis. If you're feeling down, need a little help, or just want someone to talk to about LGBT+ stuff, these contacts welcome you.
