Transgender Awareness Week
- moranbahrainbowcol
- Nov 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Our November edition focuses on Transgender Awareness Week (observed from the 13th - 19th Nov) which leads into Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) where we honour those that have lost their lives due to acts of transphobic violence.
What does transgender mean?
A transgender person is someone that does not identify with their gender assigned at birth. For example, a trans man may be someone that was assigned female at birth but identifies as a man. Sistergirl and Brotherboy are culturally appropriate terms used for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people that identify as transgender.
You may have also heard of terms such as non-binary or gender diverse. People that identify as non-binary don’t relate specifically to male or female but could identify as both, neither or no gender.
Why do we celebrate transgender awareness week?
Transgender and gender diverse people are some of the most at-risk groups of people to experience mental health issues, sexual violence, assault, suicidal ideology and self-harm. Transgender people aged 14-25 are fifteen times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population (1).
It is because of these shocking statistics that we raise awareness of transgender issues and build the visibility of trans people in our community. Unfortunately over the last 12 months, there have been many stories in the media specifically relating to transgender people in sport that further harmful stigmas and spread misinformation.
Here are some helpful ways that you can show your support of transgender people:
Use people’s preferred name and pronouns. A preferred name can be a name that a person has chosen to best reflect their identity. Pronouns are how someone would like to be referred to when we are not using their name. This could be he/him, she/her, they/them or any combination. You can normalise using pronouns by adding them to your social bios, email signature or when you meet someone for the first time.
Stand up to discrimination. If you hear or see someone spreading misinformation around transgender people, purposely using incorrect pronouns or preferred name, using derogatory terms such as tr*nny, she-male, etc. Take a stand! Let people know that type of behaviour isn’t acceptable.
Take the time to educate yourself. Not only is this important when taking a stand against discrimination but it’s also key in keeping up to date with transgender rights, issues and struggles to know how to best help those in the trans community. We have listed some links to get you started at the end of this article.
Follow transgender content creators. We love to celebrate own voices and support media that accurately reflects the experiences of those in our community.
Here are some amazing trans content creators we recommend checking out:
Trans Handy-Ma’am @mercurystardust (teaching home maintenance and repairs)
Yasmin Finney @yazdemand (inside the life of a Black transgender woman, she also stars in the hit Netflix show ‘Heartstopper’)
Nevo Zisin @nevozisin (Australian non-binary, transgender author and activist)
Georgie Stone @georgiestone (Australian transgender actress and advocate).
Don’t forget to wear your pink and blue tokens this November to show your support and celebrate the beautiful transgender people in our community.
Transgender Awareness Week online events to check out:
Minus18 Virtual Chill Out - 13th Nov https://www.minus18.org.au/events/minus18's-virtual-chill-out:-this-is-trans-joy
Minus18 Intro to Visible Trans Allyship Webinar - 16th Nov
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