What Transgender Day of Visibility Means in Health Care
OUR STATEMENT
Today, March 31, is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV), a time to uplift the tenacity of the transgender community. TDoV is also a time to acknowledge the harm and discrimination trans people are subject to, especially in health care settings.
Chicago-based uro-gynecologist and provider of gender-affirming care, Dr. Emile Redwood reflects on the day:
“Transgender Day of Visibility is a day for transgender folks to be visible in their personhood and joy. It is an opportunity for us to speak for ourselves amidst constant narratives from cisgender folks that incite fear and strip away the autonomy of transgender people.
“We are not visible in the media or in places where decisions about our lives are being made. It asks the people around to hold us up and say, ‘you are seen, you are loved, you are real to us.’ It asks us to turn to each other in community and say, ‘I see you clearly.’ I plan to call all of my trans friends and family and say, ‘I love you, happy TDoV!’ That is a radical act today, especially.”.
“Medical professionals are largely conditioned into silence around the status quo, but all of us find our voices in allyship. We can be stronger allies by recognizing that it is always easier to advocate with our patients than it is for them to advocate alone. Our allyship starts in hospital hallways, in careful progress note writing, in making mistakes and being humble, in conversations with our own families and with friends. A commitment to friction creates change in medical spaces and in community.”
Visibility without adequate allyship and protections is not enough to support queer and trans people. Dr. Redwood’s reflections remind us of how critical it is to show up in solidary for the trans community. Not just today, but every day.
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