I have abandoned my Harry Potter cloak of invisibility for today is the International Trans Day of Visibility (ITDOV). Ironically, as transgender people we are often all too visible to society if we do not pass well - something that many trans aspire to and many find psychologically and socially distressing if not achieved. What is true, however, is that for every trans you notice another 9 or 99 are invisible, because theyve either disappeared into the general hubbub of society and are accepted as people first, and gendered persons of trans history second, or, they may be part of the invisible iceberg of trans not yet out. This latter group, for whom gender identity becomes a self-aware issue typically by the age of 7 may on average stay hidden till coming out in their 40s. If families, partners, media and society were more accepting, less judgemental and ridiculing, then I am quite sure more would be out and visible. Perhaps, like International Coming Out Day, today is a day we can celebrate increasing safety for more trans to come out, not to be outed as I was initially. People call me brave for being out, but I had no choice, being outed to friends and family by my then partner. By then it was in for a penny in for a pound, a sink or swim choice. Read more including notable trans people, some figures on the prevalence of transgender and what you can do to reduce transphobia and make it safer for trans people to be more visible... bubblews/news/2812307-international-transgender-day-of-visibility
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:58:21 +0000
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