Into the Light: Transgender Day of Visibility and Mental Health, By Jason La Kier. MS
- jgarcia651
- Mar 23
- 3 min read
International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV for short!) is March 31st; in honor of
this day meant to celebrate trans people and raise awareness of issues the community faces, we at
White Cloud thought it could be illuminating to go over some basic mental health information
related to transgender people. Whether you're trans yourself, an ally, friend or family member, or
simply curious about this holiday you'd never heard of, I hope you learn something this TDoV.
You can read further about the holiday at GLAAD's page if you're interested in learning more
after this little blog post!
Transgender Day of Visibility was created in 2009 by Rachel Crandall, LMSW, a licensed
psychotherapist and activist specializing in transgender issues. She created the holiday to
contrast to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which is focused on those who lost
their lives due to transphobic violence. Trans Day of Visibility is instead meant for the living, to
celebrate the trans people who continue to work towards equality, justice, and joy for all.
Mental health concerns are widespread among trans people, with various studies
indicating higher likelihood for anxiety, depression, self-harm, and even suicide; this is
consistently connected to the transphobic discrimination, stigma, and fear of violence that trans
people experience (American Psychiatric Association, 2022; Hajek et al., 2023; Tordoff et al.,
2022). Whether it's the stress of trying to hide who you are and remain in the closet, the anxiety
of worrying about systemic discrimination, the sadness of being told that you're not worthy of
love and respect, or the countless other little (and not-so-little) stressors of being an oft-maligned
minority, transphobia hurts mental health. This is true even for those who aren't directly targeted
by verbal or physical attack, as it's easy to internalize negative messaging from media, friends
and family, or the news. It takes work and time to unlearn the casual intolerance that can turn
into hatred, even self-hatred. Combatting transphobia is a vital part of mental health just like
anti-bullying campaigns are, because without fear of these external forces threatening them
people are more able to live happy, healthy lives. With proper gender-affirming care and social
support, trans people can and do live happy, healthy lives every day, everywhere, regardless of
those who stand against their existence.
Trans resilience is worth recognizing and celebrating every day, not just March 31st; it
takes immeasurable bravery to be yourself in a world that often doesn't accept that. And maybe
someday we'll reach a point where incredible resilience and fighting back against transphobia
aren't necessary, where visibility and respect is the default for every group that's been ignored or
oppressed. Until then, there's gender-affirming mental health care at White Cloud.
Sources:
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Carreras, J. (2009, March 26). Transgender Day of Visibility plans erupt locally, nationwide.
Between the Lines News, Issue 1713.
Hajek, A., König, H. H., Buczak-Stec, E., Blessmann, M., & Grupp, K. (2023). Prevalence and
Determinants of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among Transgender People: Results
of a Survey. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 11(5), 705.
Tordoff, D. M., Wanta, J. W., Collin, A., Stepney, C., Inwards-Breland, D. J., & Ahrens, K.
(2022). Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving
Gender-Affirming Care. JAMA network open, 5(2), e220978.
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