What Can We Do All Year to Help Trans People? 

March 31st was International Transgender Day Of Visibility, but what can we do to appreciate transgender folk all year round? People who fall under the transgender umbrella are highly persecuted everyday all around the world; the community is heavily misunderstood and misrepresented, which is why it is so important to be a supportive ally to help work towards ending this discrimination. It is important to learn more about transgender identities, culture, terminology, and history to truly be an ally. People of all identities deserve to feel validated in who they are, so it is important for allies to do their part all year round in supporting the identities of their trans neighbors. So, what can we do? 

Educate Yourself 

One of the easiest ways to help the trans community is to just educate yourself. Trans people are incredibly misunderstood due to the lack of widespread knowledge on the community and culture, leading to harmful stereotyping, discrimination, and transphobia. For example, a lot of people only see trans-men and trans-women as being transgender, but nonbinary people, gender fluid people, agender people, gender questioning people, all fall under the transgender umbrella. 

A lot of people think that to be transgender a person must go through some sort of surgery, seek out hormone therapy, change their name/pronouns, start presenting themselves differently, but everyone's transition looks different and unique to them; a trans-man who doesn’t take testosterone or get top surgery isn’t any less valid than one who does, and that goes for all people. 

Transgender people have existed for thousands of years though many people believe that the trans community somehow emerged in recent decades; it is interesting to take deep dives into the long history of the existence of trans individuals to learn more about how the community got to where it is now. 

There is a lot of terminology used among trans people or in reference to trans identities, so it is important to learn how to correctly use those words and phrases when talking with or about trans people. It is also important to learn what is and isn’t appropriate to ask trans folks; you should not be asking about people’s genitals, but rather ask for their pronouns. 

Being educated on transgender topics is so important for the community to thrive and exist within our heteronormative society. 

A list of tips for Allies of Transgender People

Donate to a Charity 

A great way to help any group or community you are trying to support is by donating to a charity that helps that community. There are tons of charities that support transgender people, such as The Trevor Project (an organization that provides a 24/7 hotline that helps prevent suicide among queer youth and educating others), National Center for Transgender Equality (an organization that helps with social justice advocacy for trans individuals), and Mermaids (an organization specifically focused on helping gender-diverse children). There are tons of other organizations that focus on helping trans people and others in the LGBTQIA+ community that could always use donations and volunteers. Do your research because you will find tons of charities to support! 

Validate Your Transgender Neighbors 

The simplest way to support the transgender community all year round is to respect and validate the trans people that you know in your personal life. Trans people exist all around the world so you are destined to come across somebody in the community at some point in your life. If you have somebody in your life who is transgender, it never hurts to validate their identity and express your love and support for who they are. Respect people's privacy when it comes to their identity and support them as they live as their authentic selves. Even something as simple as using the correct name and pronouns for a person in conversation is a way to validate one's gender identity. Receiving validation from friends and family helps trans people feel more comfortable in their identity and safe in their community. 

Consume Positive Trans Media 

With the rise of social media and acceptance of transgender individuals being out and proud in pop culture, we have seen a lot of celebrities come forward as being a part of the trans community and more trans representation being presented in mainstream pop culture. There are a lot of transgender celebrities that represent the community in a positive way such as acting veteran Elliot Page and his partner comedian Mae Martin, Tik Tok sensation Dylan Mulvaney, acting icon and activist Laverne Cox, Heartstopper stars Kizzy Edgall and Yasmin Finney, beauty YouTuber Nikki De Jager, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, indie musician Cavetown, record breaking Jeopardy star Amy Schneider, and many more. There are also a lot of shows recently that feature trans storylines such as Euphoria, Heartstopper, Umbrella Academy, Feel Good, and Pose. There are  many influencers that have gained recognition recently through growing Tik Tok and Instagram viewers which is very nice to see non-celebrities making an impact. Consuming positive trans media not only helps normalize seeing trans people represented in culture, but also helps the community to grow.

Vote 

Some of the biggest problems within the trans community root from lawmakers who pass transphobic bills that go against the basic human rights of transgender people. There are hundreds of anti-trans bills introduced each year in the United States which is an act of discrimination and hate; we must vote to help put this blatant transphobia to rest. If our lawmakers are bullying trans individuals, so are our citizens. Voting is probably the most important and significant way to help the transgender community because it is the people in power who have the most impact on trans lives. 

Support Trans-Run Businesses 

Buying from a trans owned business not only helps support the community, but also helps a small business owner as well! Business owners come in all shapes and sizes, so there are tons of different brands owned by trans individuals that are worth exploring and supporting. Here is a list of 11 different trans owned businesses that range from makeup to candles to jewelry.