Transgender Visibility Campaign taking place in West Michigan

As the world prepares to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, 2012, the Transgender Education Collaboration is proud to be in the midst of the Transgender Visibility Campaign. The ‘Campaign’ began on March 1st and runs through the first week of April 2012. The campaign is centered on bringing awareness and education about Transgender issues that affect not only the West Michigan Trans community, but those around the globe.

In partnership with our many collaborators, the campaign began with an open house for the Trans community and its allies on Saturday, March 3, at the West Michigan Pride Center, located in Grand Rapids. The Campaign wraps-up on Wednesday, April 4th with a presentation by well known photographer and activist, Sarah Wong, sponsored by our friends at Grand Valley State University, Allendale.

As the Transgender Education Collaboration works to establish itself in the community, there is an ongoing movement to bring about awareness and education for a segment of the population that, for too long has been ignored, abused and/or forgotten. M Kelley, Co-Chair, Transgender Education Collaboration, said, “The fight for transgender rights is too often easily dismissed because Transgender people lack visibility and our [TEC] main goal is to bring much needed education to our community that allows us to make room for all Transgendered people, no matter where they are on their journey. For too long, we have accepted poor treatment of the trans community because of misinformation and a lack of understanding. Visibility is so important for the Transgender community, because the rest of society needs to realize that we are here and we are people who have value.”

When asked why this campaign is so important, Jena Lewis, Co-Chair, Transgender Education Collaboration, said, "For so long the only visible faces of Transgender people are those as victims of crime on the news, or the false representation of drug using prostitutes. The International Transgender Visibility holiday is time where we all can combat these memes these false beliefs that society pushes upon those that do not follow the gender binary.”

“Also, it is time we celebrate people that matter in history and the present that did not follow expected gender roles. It is time we see amazing artists like Rex Cameron and Andrea James. It is time we remember the incredible scientists and computer inventors, people who have really shaped our daily lives for the better, but also amazingly is the fact that they did and do not fit the expected gender perspectives society has put on us for too long.”