WASHINGTON—Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, honors the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Held annually on March 31, TDOV celebrates transgender and non-binary people worldwide living openly and authentically while raising awareness around the discrimination and violence they still face.

“Every year, we set aside a moment in time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people in all their resilience and ferocity,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “But the truth is they deserve more than a day. Transgender and non-binary people are our family and friends, our colleagues, and our loved ones - and above all, they’re people who deserve full lived and legal equality. On the same day we celebrate the power and visibility of transgender and non-binary people, we must also acknowledge an exceedingly dangerous moment: legislators around the country seemingly competing to be the cruelest to our trans siblings. On this Transgender Day of Visibility, we all must recommit ourselves to fighting against those seeking to upend their lives and marginalize them for being their truest selves.”

So far in 2023 alone, HRC is tracking more than 100 bills that would prevent trans youth from accessing best-practice, age-appropriate, medically-necessary gender-affirming care, several of which have already become law; this comes in a year when more than 425 anti-transgender bills have been introduced around the country, the most in history. Additionally, nearly 1 in 5 hate crimes are now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and 2022 alone saw at least 38 transgender people killed as a result of fatal violence - the majority of whom were Black transgender women. This coordinated campaign to remove trans rights by extremist politicians and judges highlights the hate carried by many, but that will not deter us from fighting the good fight.

“The visibility of trans and non-binary people is crucial in countering disinformation about our community from those who seek to weaken our resolve,” said Tori Cooper, Director of Community Engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative. “Being a part of a thriving community demonstrates that trans joy is possible, and with the influx of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, that joy is needed now more than ever. We are a vibrant and beautifully resilient group, and despite the hurdles we still face, we will never waiver in the face of those who seek to eradicate our existence.”

To mark the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Human Rights Campaign is joining with volunteers, members, and LGBTQ+ people and allies from across the country to send a clear message to legislators that transgender people won’t be erased, by visiting them in the halls of Congress in our 2023 Lobby Day.

To learn more about the Human Rights Campaign’s work on transgender equality, including the work done by its Transgender Justice Initiative, visit HRC.org/transgender. HRC offers a guide to reporters on how to cover transgender-related stories, which can be found here.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.