This article was originally published by Transcend Australia. You can find the original article here.
Take part in our Letters of Love Campaign!
On March 31st, it will be Trans Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate the achievements of trans, gender diverse and non-binary people and recognise the extraordinary or even the everyday and ordinary contributions they make to society.
The number of trans young people and their families seeking access to affirm their gender rises each year. Evidence suggests this is due to a growing acceptance from parents, doctors and peers about gender diversity. As well as improvements to social policy, anti-discrimination legislation and increasing levels of media visibility. Trans young people are feeling safer and more supported to express who they are, and this is a good thing.
Over time, there have been many trans people involved in positive social change, paving a safer and more equitable path for generations to come. Some trans people have been widely recognised for their work and achievements, whilst others may not have received the recognition they deserve or they may have been quiet achievers working behind the scenes. Every trans person and every action is valid; everyone contributing to making the world a better place. Often social change occurs through people making significant sacrifices, as public exposure or brave actions can also come at a personal cost or negative backlash. We have so much to be grateful for, especially to those who came before us to help create a safer world for us to be who we are.
Why is trans visibility important?
When young people are able to see positive representations in the media or in their lives, then they are able to reflect on their own personal experience of gender and connect deeply with who they are. Visible positive role models are vital for imagining stronger futures for trans young people. You cannot be what you cannot see. Trans visibility has been critical to opening the doors for people to better understand who they are. We all draw inspiration from somewhere or someone and one person’s courageous act can influence and inspire others to feel brave enough to take a stand for what they believe in too.
In honour of Trans Day of Visibility, we invite all trans, gender diverse and non-binary people, particularly trans young people to think of a trans, a gender diverse or a non-binary person who has inspired you. Someone who you feel has made a positive impact for you. It may be an artist, musician, actor, author, academic, sports person, activist, advocate, politician or anyone who has been public as a trans person in their life, anywhere in the world.
We invite you to hand write them a letter of love, sharing your gratitude, appreciation and respect for who they are and what they have done to make a positive difference for you and others.
Transcend will post the letter publicly on our social media and where possible, tag the trans person (if they have public social media) so that they can see the letter of love.
Why do we need a Letters of Love Campaign?
During times when trans rights and trans visibility are under attack and trans people face disproportionate levels of harassment and abuse, an act of solidarity and love can strengthen our community resilience and amplify respect for the amazing trans people who have achieved remarkable things in their lives, and there are many out there.
This campaign was inspired by a young trans girl living in Victoria, who hand wrote a letter to Georgie Stone OAM, thanking Georgie for her work to change the law so that young people like her would be able to access medical treatment without having to go court. Georgie’s advocacy not only enabled this young person to be able to access the healthcare she needed, but it also inspired her to advocate for junior sports equality at her own school. An activity that has generated immense pride in both Georgie and this young person.
Trans people and our achievements deserve to be celebrated. Our intergenerational relationships are a source of power and strength.
If this campaign inspires you, no matter how old you are, then grab a pen and paper over the next few days to write your trans letter of love.
Some things to remember!
- Please make sure the person you are writing to is already publicly open about being trans. They need to be a known trans person publicly, this is so we protect their privacy. If we can’t find them on google as being openly trans, we may not be able to publish the letter.
- Please only mention their first name, not their last name in the letter.
- Please don’t include any personal information about where they work or live, so we can ensure they have their privacy respected.
- Please ensure the same for yourself, don’t include anything that would identify exactly who you are, such as mentioning the school you go to or the exact sports club you play at. Keep it general and broad and speak more to the actions and impacts.
- You do not have to use your name if you want to protect your identity, you can use an alias to sign off the letter, or just say, ‘from a young trans person in NSW’.
What to do when you have written the letter?
- Take a photo of it, similar to the young person’s letter below and email it to us, [email protected] by Wednesday March 27th at 5pm.
- In the email to us, please include the public social media handles of the trans person you are writing to so that we can tag them. It’s ok if you can’t find them, it isn’t essential.
- If the letter follows the guide above, then we will be able to post the letter of love as part of Trans Day of Visibility.
