By: W*SS
This is an important day--as we conclude our month-long celebration of Womxn’s Herstory--we also recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV is recognized every year on March 31). TDOV brings awareness and attention to both the visible and the invisible, just as history has largely excluded womxn, so has our culture erased the contributions of of trans folx. We in Women*s Student Services complicate the term “women” by adding an asterisk. In doing so we emphasize the n remind everyone that EVERYONE is welcome. We do not only create events for cisgender women, and we certainly do not limit our audience to be only women-identified individuals. We encourage anyone, no matter how they identify their gender, to be involved in our programming, office hours, or whatever we are doing. Many folx use the term “womxn” to complicate the cisgender connotation of “women.” While we are complicating terms, let’s also complicate “visibility.” We want to also honor those who feel like they are not safe to be visibly trans. And, visibility beyond this one day is what is key. One day is not enough to celebrate trans visibility, and one month is not enough to celebrate womxn’s herstory. We cannot take these designated times for granted, and leave our learning to only take place during the month of March or on March 31st. Trans visibility and the herstory of womxn need to be celebrated and shared all year long. We in WSS challenge you today to reflect on all we have celebrated with Womxn’s Herstory Month this past March. We also challenge you to do something today to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. Here are some ideas from transstudent.org(we do not recommend idea #1 in light of the current physical distancing).
So, what are you going to do today to celebrate? We would love to see what you do, whether you are doing research about trans history, learning about new resources, or more. Please share with us on social media what you’re up to today. Happy Womxn’s Herstory Month, and Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility!
Interested in sharing your own "Thought Of The Day" or TOTD? Email us at wss@msu.edu.
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