Happy Trans Day Of Visibility 2016!

Today is the Trans Day of Visibility on our side of the International Date Line.  It is a rapidly growing day founded by Rachel Crandall in which we trans folks around the globe celebrate every March 31 being our fabulous selves, and demand that our humanity and human rights be respected and protected.

Unlike last year, when I spent the Transgender Day of Visibility at a White House trans women of color policy briefing event, this year I'm in the Houston city limits for TDOV..

In light of the Republican anti-trans legislative assault we are enduring in several states right now and loud calls from elements of the white gay male community to kick trans people to the political curb for their own selfish gain, #TDOV2016 couldn't come at a more critical time for our American trans community and our trans brothers and sisters around the globe.

Trans rights are human rights. Our humanity as trans people is not up for theological debate or discussion. Deal with it.

We're not only tired of it in Trans World, we're tired of the attempts of Republican politicians to legislate anti-trans bigotry or using it as a Trojan Horse to repeal human rights coverage for everyone.  And we damned sure aren't as trans elders tolerating attacks on our trans younglings. We will go to war to protect our trans kids and ensure they have a better life than we trans elders did.

And yes GOP, as you'll find out on November 8, we trans people vote.

We trans people are also tired of anti-trans bigotry and hatred being peddled in our TBLGIQ community ranks and it's past time to eradicate it.  Now more than ever, we need our cis family and friends to stand up and declare in one voice that they love their trans family and friends, and will unconditionally love, support and stand with them.

My trans brothers and sisters are beautifully human and part of the diverse mosaic of humanity, and #TDOV2016 is another chance to drive that point home.

Happy Trans Day of Visibility, everyone!  .I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to support the trans community by attending a Transgender Day of Visibility event happening in your various locales today.

.

Happy Brazilian Trans Day Of Visibility!

Today is the Trans Day of Visibility in Brazil.   Every year since 1994 in that nation January 29 is celebrated by the local trans community as their day to let their fellow Brazilians know that they exist, their humanity is worthy of recognition and respect, and their human rights need to be protected as well.

Brazil also has unfortunately led the world in the deaths of our transsisters, with one as young as age 14 being murdered last year.

Unfortunately in 2016 they have gotten off to another horrific start in that category with 48 trans women being murdered in Brazil in this month alone, and it needs to stop.

May this day not only open hearts and minds in Brazil, but lead to substantive change in the way the nation treats its trans citizens.

Brazilian Trans Day Of Visibility Is Tomorrow

Because of Carnaval, a long list of trans models gracing their local and world's fashion runways like Roberta Close, Lea T, Carol Marra and Felipa Tavares, and a national healthcare system that includes trans specific care up to SRS, Brazil is seen by those of us living in the US as a trans friendly country.

But sadly, because of the confluence of a Roman Catholic faith that has been poisoned by anti-trans attitudes injected to it at the Vatican level,  large Pentecostal megachurch pastors in Brazil spreading hatred of trans people combined with the lack of non-discrimination laws at the federal and state levels, the Brazilian trans community has been hit with an off the charts level of anti-trans murders, abuse and discrimination.

Brazil's trans women are still catching hell.  And it needs to stop.

While so far here in the US in 2016 after a record setting year of trans murders for us we haven't had a trans sister killed yet (and I pray it stays that way for a while) that is not the case in Brazil.

In just this month alone, according to Aleika Barros, 40 trans women have been killed in Brazil in January. That is double the number of trans women we lost in the entire US over all of 2015, and unfortunately means that if this pattern continues,by the time we have this year's TDOR, Brazil will once again lead the world in genocidal levels of violence aimed at trans women living there..

According to Aleika, between 2008 and 2014, 604 Brazilian trans women have been murdered, and sadly, they are on their way to another murderous year.  Our trans Brazilian sisters are tired of it, and so am I.

Tomorrow is the Trans Day of Visibility in Brazil, which has been celebrated there on this January 29 date since 2004.  This is one Brazilian Trans Day of Visibility in which I hope trans Brazilians will not only emphatically point out that they are citizens of their country whose humanity needs to be recognized, but that their human rights need to be protected at the local, state and national level.

And their murders need to end.

I hope and pray their fellow cisgender Brazilians look into their hearts, join with trans Brazilians and resolve to work in tandem with the Brazilian trans community to bring those unacceptable levels of anti-trans murders to zero.

TransGriot Note: Photos are of Brazilan trans woman Aleika Barros