Trans people are visible every day. We deserve to be supported daily, too.
Take your energy beyond the Trans Day of Visibility to help the trans community.
The beginning of spring is our favorite time of year—the time when we reflect and celebrate transgender people around the world. It’s a time when the whole world seems to be blossoming, including our community! On March 31, we honor Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). TDOV is an international event dedicated to recognizing the resilience and accomplishments of the transgender community. On this day, we celebrate trans people, raise awareness about our community’s struggles, and acknowledge trans people’s historic and ongoing contributions to our culture.
However, trans people deserve their flowers every day of the year. If you want to carry that energy beyond TDOV and share it every day, here are some ways to support the trans community and stay connected, all year round.
1. Educate Yourself about Trans Issues
Living as a trans person comes with its own unique challenges. As you transition and move toward your most authentic self, you will likely encounter the blessings and barriers that affect our community in different ways. One of the best things you can do is learn as much as possible about transgender-specific issues. That means educating yourself about our community’s history and our future. What is possible for transgender people, and who is limiting our progress? Take time to educate yourself about your rights, what’s changing in transgender healthcare, and how you can connect with advocacy groups like the ACLU and Trans Lifeline.
When you learn about our community’s issues, you are preparing yourself to protect yourself and your loved ones. Information is power—which is one of the reasons Plume offers so many free resources. (We want to support you whether you’re a Plume member or not!) Our blog, social media, and newsletter are all packed with free, accessible resources that you can use any time.
2. Seek Creative Connections with Trans Folks
Community is a gift that we create for ourselves. It doesn’t come ready-made off the rack, but we can tailor it to fit us perfectly. Our community might evolve as we transition, learning what we need from a broad range of people. We might grow closer with the same folks we knew before we set out on our journey—who we relate to with new intimacy, as we get to know ourselves better, too.
Building community intentionally is a creative process in itself. Those relationships are unique and nurturing. You know you’ve found your people when you are comfortable accepting their support. When you share your love, you feel safe, not overextended. You speak a common language and discover new parts of yourself through these relationships. Not sure where to start? Plume is working to create spaces where you can meet and talk to other trans and genderqueer folks on-and-offline, connecting with the community your heart craves.
3. Donate to Trans Surgery and Medical Funds
Preparing for surgery or beginning gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT, which some people also call hormone replacement therapy or HRT) is a huge milestone for many trans people. Some of us access care through private pay or our insurance coverage, while others run personal fundraisers or apply for scholarships to get the help they need. Donating to nonprofits and individual funds helps get money to trans people who face additional barriers to care.
Last week, Plume partnered with Point of Pride, #YouAreEssential, and TikTok star Mercury Stardust aka the Trans Handy Ma’am to raise money for Point of Pride’s HRT Access Fund. Our goal was $24,000 in 24 hours, and we ended up collecting $138,000 by the time the fundraiser concluded. Many of the donations were small (the average donation was $40!), but they added up—which just shows how fiercely our community cares for one another. Best of all, 100% of this money connects trans people in need to 12 months of gender-affirming care with Plume. Plume provides gender-affirming hormone therapy, along with a growing suite of complementary medications, and support to help folks change their legal name and gender markers or get ready for gender-affirming surgery.
4. Share Your Experience on Social Media
Seeing trans folks living their best lives and loving themselves is a powerful tool for change, despite the risk that can come with that visibility. Whether you blend in or stand out, wear sweatpants or hot pants, you deserve to be seen your way. Some of our awesome community partners, like Kayden Coleman (he/him), Jamie K. Brown (they/he), and Xaria James (she/her) recently shared their powerful stories and comments on what it means to be “visibly trans” on social media and in real life.
If you’re looking for trans faces on your social media feed, check out Plume’s #VisiblyTrans campaign. In honor of TDOV, we created this hashtag to celebrate the beauty and euphoria of being openly trans, while honoring the life-saving power of gender affirming healthcare. Check out the hashtag (and the cute filter that goes with it!) to see all the self-portraits our community shared. Whenever you feel like connecting with other folks in the community, you can find some inspiration and share a selfie, story, reel, video, artwork, or an image that expresses your fabulous self, too.
5. Discover New Ways to Love Yourself and Others
Every trans person deserves to feel the unconditional love of belonging. Many of us don’t find it in our families of origin—or we need time to rebuild trust with people who respond badly to new information about our gender identities or gender expressions. Transitioning can be a challenging process because it pushes us to see what is really important to us. In our gender journeys, we must constantly discover new ways to love ourselves and others. Feeling cared for, seen, and honored are basic human needs. We find them with our friends and our family of choice—which are just as valid as the families who raised us.
As we grow toward our authentic selves, we can also deepen the loving connections we feel with our community. Each individual person’s future sprouts from a combination of community, imagination, and collaboration. As you express yourself, have new experiences, and create the life you deserve, you can support yourself and others by remembering that you belong. You are loved—on the days we designate as holidays, and every day of the year—because you are wonderful as you are.
