Transgender Awareness Week

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Transgender Awareness Week
Observed by Transgender community and supporters
Date November
Frequencyannual
Related to Transgender Day of Remembrance, International Transgender Day of Visibility

Transgender Awareness Week, observed November 13 to November 19, is a one-week celebration leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), which memorializes victims of transphobic violence. [1] TDoR occurs annually on November 20, when transgender advocates raise awareness of the transgender community through education and advocacy activities. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The first week of November typically begins with third parties hosting events at venues (including online venues) surrounding a main central venue, followed the second week by more venues at the main area showcasing more and more in-depth events. [1] [5] The purpose of Transgender Awareness Week is to educate about transgender and gender non-conforming people and the issues associated with their transition or identity. [2]

History

There have been many pivotal historical moments that relate to transgender advocacy.

These are just a few of the many important moments that have led to increased transgender advocacy and awareness. [6]

Events

Participants in Transgender Awareness Week are encouraged to organize events that serve as educational opportunities to the community. One possible event is the screening of a trans-themed movie, such as the film Paris is Burning, which highlights gay and transgender ball culture in New York City. [6] [7] Another educational event is the personal testimonies of local transgender people and the issues they face because of their gender identity. [7] "I AM: Trans People Speak" is a collection of videos regarding transgender people's personal testimonies that could be shown in place of a live testimony. [2] Other events have revolved around the discussion of trans-themed books or the observation of a trans-themed art show or performance. [7]

In San Francisco, Transgender Awareness Week was expanded to cover the entire month of November starting in 2018 by Mayor London Breed and Clair Farley, director of the city's Office of Transgender Initiatives. [8] In November 2019, each member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave a commendation to a member of the trans community. [9]

Additional information with controversies

A study conducted by the Williams Institute in 2016 concluded that 0.6% of the U.S. population (1.4 million people) identify themselves as transgender. [10] In 2008, only 8% of Americans reported knowing or working with someone who is transgender; by 2015, this had doubled to 16%, according to a Harris poll, [11] and by 2021, this had risen to 42% according to a Pew poll, [12] but it is still far less than the number of Americans who know someone who is gay or lesbian (87%, as of 2013, according to a Pew poll).

Trans people face many issues within their community that cause them to feel like they are in danger and are unsafe. [13] A survey found that 50% of trans people report having been raped or assaulted by a romantic partner. [14] Trans people have been murdered simply for being trans, [15] in addition to their loved ones and/or friends because of being involved with them. [16] Some trans women were arrested for fighting back against their attacker. [17] Trans people and supporters formally united with one another and took stands against discrimination towards trans people by holding protests. [6] Transgender Awareness Week was established in response to these killings and imprisonments in order to highlight the challenges faced by trans people.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender Day of Remembrance</span> Day to memorialize transphobia victims

The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually from its inception on November 20 to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. The day was founded to draw attention to the continued violence directed toward transgender people.

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The bisexual community, also known as the bi+, m-spec, bisexual/pansexual, or bi/pan/fluid community, includes members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and sexually fluid. As opposed to hetero- or homosexual people, people in the bisexual community experience attraction to more than one gender.

Transgender flags are used by people, organizations and communities to represent pride, diversity, rights and/or remembrance within the transgender community. Usage is similar to the original rainbow flag but specific to the transgender community. The best-known design is a pride flag of five horizontal stripes of three colors in the order light blue, light pink, white, light pink, and light blue. There are related flags as well, including ones which combine the "progress" version of the rainbow flag with the transgender and intersex flags, as well as various flags for niches within the transgender and non-binary communities.

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LGBT movements in the United States comprise an interwoven history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied social movements in the United States of America, beginning in the early 20th century. A commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBT people. Some have also focused on building LGBT communities or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia. LGBT movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including lobbying, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research. Sociologist Mary Bernstein writes: "For the lesbian and gay movement, then, cultural goals include challenging dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity, homophobia, and the primacy of the gendered heterosexual nuclear family (heteronormativity). Political goals include changing laws and policies in order to gain new rights, benefits, and protections from harm." Bernstein emphasizes that activists seek both types of goals in both the civil and political spheres.

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A transgender person is someone whose gender identity differs from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual. Transgender is also an umbrella term; in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex, it may also include people who are non-binary or genderqueer. Other definitions of transgender also include people who belong to a third gender, or else conceptualize transgender people as a third gender. The term may also include cross-dressers or drag kings and drag queens in some contexts. The term transgender does not have a universally accepted definition, including among researchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender rights movement</span>

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International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring every March 31 since 2009 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society. The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. It has since been spearheaded by the U.S.-based youth advocacy organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwendolyn Ann Smith</span> Founder of Transgender Day of Remembrance

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References

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  9. "SF supervisors honor transgender leaders". Bay Area Reporter . November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  10. Hoffman, Jan (June 30, 2016). "Estimate of U.S. Transgender Population Doubles to 1.4 Million Adults". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  11. "Number of Americans who report knowing a transgender person doubles in seven years, according to new GLAAD survey". GLAAD. September 16, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  12. "Rising shares of U.S. adults know someone who is transgender or goes by gender-neutral pronouns". Pew Research Center. July 27, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  13. Land, Abbe (November 19, 2014). "Recognizing Transgender Awareness Week". HuffPost. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  14. Pan, Landyn. "Why Trans People Need More Visibility". transstudent.org. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  15. 'Remembering Rita Hester' Archived November 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine November 15, 2008, Edge Boston
  16. New York Times: David France, "An Inconvenient Woman," May 28, 2000, accessed March 12, 2012
  17. Strangio, Chase. "From Dee to Patti: Transgender Women Fighting Back Against Sexual Assault in Detention". aclu.org. Retrieved November 14, 2023.