This Sunday marks a significant milestone for the transgender and nonbinary community as people from Kosovo to the Netherlands to the U.S. come together to celebrate International Transgender Visibility Day, now in its 15th year.
Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a psychotherapist and the executive director of Transgender Michigan, is still in awe of the international movement she inadvertently sparked. “It really is amazing how far it has come,” she shared with NPR. “I wasn’t expecting to start an international movement”.
According to a 2022 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA’s law school, more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. identify as transgender.
Amidst these celebrations, it’s important to note the challenges faced by trans individuals, particularly in the U.S. where their rights have been increasingly restricted in recent years. Several states have enacted bills limiting or even banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, alongside legislation targeting trans athletes and drag performers.
The origins of International Transgender Day of Visibility trace back to 2009 when Crandall-Crocker sought a day of joy and community for trans individuals, distinct from the somber tone of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes victims of anti-trans violence on November 20.
“I wanted a day that we could focus on the living,” Crandall-Crocker explained. “And where we could have rallies all as one community all the way around the world.” Thus, International Transgender Day of Visibility was born, falling annually on March 31. Crandall-Crocker deliberately chose this date to provide some separation from Transgender Day of Remembrance and Pride Month in June.
What began with only a few cities in the U.S. has since blossomed into a global celebration, thanks to the efforts of Crandall-Crocker and her wife, Susan Crocker, who serves as Transgender Michigan’s operations director. Advocates worldwide have embraced the day, organizing rallies, block parties, and festivals centered on trans joy.
The recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility by the U.S. government and the illumination of skyscrapers across the country in the colors of the transgender flag—light pink, light blue, and white—underscore the growing acceptance and visibility of the trans community.
For Crandall-Crocker, who lives with Tourette syndrome, organizing this day has been a profound lesson: “You do not have to be perfect to change the world.”