March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility

International TDOV was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall. Crandall, the head of Transgender Michigan, created TDOV in response to the overwhelming majority of media stories about transgender people being focused on violence. She hoped to create a day where people could celebrate the lives of transgender people, while still acknowledging that due to discrimination, not every trans person can or wants to be visible.

Given that a minority of Americans say they personally know someone who’s transgender, the vast majority of the public learns about trans people from the media. This is a problem because, as shown in the Netflix documentary Disclosure, the media has misrepresented, mischaracterized, and stereotyped trans people since the invention of film. These false depictions have indisputably shaped the cultural understanding of who trans people are and have modeled, often for the worse, how the average cisgender person should react to and treat trans people in their own lives.

Evident in 2024 is intensifying backlash toward trans people, be it through legislative measures which, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, includes 479 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across state legislatures this year alone, to direct physical violence, declared an epidemic by the American Medical Association since 2019, which disproportionately affects Black trans women with a majority being young people of color. This year, Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Indigenous and 2STGNC+ (Two Spirit, transgender and gender nonconforming+) sophomore, was killed in Oklahoma, underscoring the severe and significant impact of bullying and discrimination.

That’s why it’s still necessary for trans people to be seen through authentic, diverse, and accurate stories which reflect the actual lived experiences of trans people; both for themselves and for the people who believe they’ve never met a trans person.

This includes in news media, where too often trans people’s voices are missing from coverage of anti-trans laws and policies affecting their lives. This is true even at The New York Times where Media Matters recorded that the paper excluded the perspectives of trans people from two-thirds (60%) of its stories about anti-trans legislation in the year following public criticism for its handling of the topic.

Without trans people, including experts who are trans weighing in, and without trans representation in newsrooms to help guide coverage, anti-trans discrimination is often misrepresented in the news as a “culture clash” and “just asking questions” rather than as willful misinformation and targeted hate.

While backlash is a reality that trans people and allies are experiencing, new GLAAD polling data indicates that the vast majority of voting groups oppose candidates who campaign against transgender people’s access to healthcare and youth sports participation, and acceptance continues to rise with personal familiarity and exposure to trans stories in media.

That’s why this year for TDOV, GLAAD has partnered with and is supporting a number of advocates and organizations on initiatives to counteract the disinformation campaign targeting the trans community.

• Fact Sheet: Reporter Guide to Covering Transgender People, Topics, and Legislation
• ELLE’s AFFIRMED series, helmed by guest editor Tommy Dorfman, explores gender-affirming care in all its many forms. All stories were done with support from GLAAD, and all illustrations were done by Anshika Khullar.
• GILEAD x GLAAD shares Southern Storybank, a series of video portraits featuring transgender people, as well as people living with HIV, across the U.S. South, describing their daily lives and lifelong journeys in their own words.
• GLAAD and Getty Images continue to drive awareness for transgender people through visual representation, encouraging brands and marketers to help improve transgenderimagery with resources to guide visual storytelling. Read more about the partnership here and ways to take action.

Below are some resources from GLAAD and other organizations that can be used to create accurate coverage of transgender people in media:

Resources on Transgender Health Care:

• Medical Association Statements in Support of Health Care for Transgender People and Youth
• Fact Sheet: Evidence Based Health Care for Transgender People and Youth
• GLAAD’s Voter Poll Indicates Anti-Trans Campaigning is Failing
• Fact Sheet for Campaign Reporters: Best Practices for Covering LGBTQ People and Topics
• John Oliver explains why gender-affirming care is so important, exposes extremist attacks on trans youth
• Jon Stewart sets the record straight on gender-affirming care

Resources on Transgender Youth:

• 2022 U.S. Trans Survey: Early Insights (National Center for Transgender Equality)
• GLAAD Media Reference Guide: LGBTQ Youth
• 2022 National Survey on Youth Mental Health (The Trevor Project)
• 2021 National School Climate Survey (GLSEN)
• Support for Trans Youth and Families (Athlete Ally, Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum, PFLAG, GLSEN, TransAthlete.com, National Center for Transgender Equality)
• Going public: is public advocacy right for you and your family? A Guide for Parents of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth

Resources on the Political Climate for Transgender People:

• Legislation Affecting LGBTQ Rights Across the Country with Focus on Anti-Trans Bills (ACLU)
• States Seeking to Pass Laws Protecting Reproductive and Transgender Healthcare
• Snapshot: LGBTQ Equality by State with Focus on Gender Identity (Movement Advancement Project)
• Unprecedented Onslaught of State Legislation Targeting Transgender Americans (HRC)

Founded in 1985, GLAAD is a non-profit organizatin focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change.  GLAAD works to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation and creates national and local programs that advnace LGBTQ acceptance.

This article originally appeared here.