Last night, on the eve of Trans Day of Visibility, while browsing through a collection of my posts about trans health, legal gender recognition and my own experiences, I again found myself reflecting on the very notion of visibility, and what it means to me at this current moment.
Visibility is not a simple statement of fact. It is an ever changing state of being which can manifest in many different ways. For me, visibility is anything incorporating a collection of contrasting elements. It can take shape of a dialogue between equal parties or become a violent act where I lose my agency, or create a moment of absolute control over how the narrative of me as a social being is created and maintained.
On the rare occasion when it is I who exerts that control, visibility feels empowering, meaningful and life changing. And yet oftentimes it also comes with sacrifice. It creates vulnerability, opens up old wounds and becomes a question of safety. Safety from judgment, violence and hurt.
Outside of a personal perspective, visibility becomes a powerful tool of narrative change able to create and hold space for trans people in contexts and realities where society could not even fathom our presence.
And yet, visibility as a concept gains it’s meaning because of how trans people and our existence is viewed by cis normative societal structures and norms.
Trans visibility is a response to systemic and purposeful invisibilization of our experiences, our identities and our very humanity.
Without othering, through harmful laws, medical gatekeeping, economic exclusion and other violence in its many horrific forms, our needs for visibility would be different, and we would not risk what we still do today.
Trans Day of Visibility is important and continues to be a reminder of how far our movement and we as people have come. At the same time, it also reminds us how ruthless and merciless those who oppose our place in the world are.
I show up today with these feelings which at first seem at odds but in reality showcase the very notion of trans visibility. However we relate to this concept, there is always a price to pay for our choices, at least for those of us who have the freedom to make one.
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