Trans Day of Visibility: March 31

31 March 2026 marks the 16th annual International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). The day is dedicated to celebrating the contributions made by transgender people as well as raising awareness about the discrimination and violence that community members experience.

There are many false and harmful myths about trans people that villainize the community. These false depictions have led to an intensified anti-trans legislation that targets the rights, freedoms and healthcare access negatively affecting trans people’s lives. Not all trans people experience harm in the same way. Black and racialized trans women and Two Spirit people’s experiences are impacted by the multiple dimensions of oppression that they experience based on their intersecting, marginalized identities.

Wisdom2Action (W2A) is committed to achieving progress in equality and realizing the rights and freedoms of transgender community members. As an example, W2A implemented the Safer Access For Everyone in the Rainbow project (SAFER) from 2021-2024 to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) against 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, made possible through funding provided by Women and Gender Equality Canada. The need for the project was evident from the literature which reported that “63% of trans and non-binary youth reported they had experienced verbal sexual harassment in the past year, 77% of 2SLGBTQ Indigenous students report having been harassed at school, the highest percentage out of all of their peers and 30% of 2SLGBTQ youth had been victims of cyberbullying, compared to 8% of cisgender heterosexual youth” (Peter, Campbell & Taylor, 2021). GBV can be reduced through appropriate action, education, and Commented [WW1]: Can you go to the SAFER webpage and find the sources for each of these stats then add them (in a bracket, with the year) after each one? Need to cite correctly. Thanks! allyship to make 2SLGBTQIA+ youth safer, like the training and public education campaign that was part of the SAFER project.

It is essential to counter the damaging myths regarding transgender people. Trans people deserve equality, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to access their rights and freedoms. Recognizing TDOV rejects efforts to erase trans stories. It seeks accountability at all levels of society for the harmful myths that take form in policies and legislation and negatively impact trans people’s lives.

More information about the SAFER project including tipsheets and other resources to prevent and address harmful myths against trans and other 2SLGBQIA+ youth, in English and French, please visit: www.saferproject.ca and www.saferproject.ca/fr/