BY E. OWENS

On March 31st, it was “Transgender Day of Visibility”. It is a day to commemorate and appreciate those who identify as transgender. It’s important that we recognize these people in the LGBT+ community, and respect who they are.

Transgender Flag

The word ‘transgender’ is an umbrella term for anyone who identifies with a different gender than the one assigned at birth. Some transgender people are ftm (female to male) or mtf (male to female), while others identify outside of the binary (male or female). A comprehensive explanation can be found on http://www.glaad.org/transgender/transfaq.

The international celebration began when Rachel Crandall, the head of Transgender Michigan, wanted to celebrate the transgender community. All over social media, people used the hashtag #TDOV2016 to share their experiences with transition, identifying and giving love to the entire community.

It’s a day that needs to be known more about by everyone. Transgender Day of Visibility is important in acknowledging the LGBT community, and for everyone who wants to support it.