The City of Olympia on Tuesday declared March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility, urging all residents to respect and honor the right of transgender and gender diverse community members to live openly and free from violence, harassment and discrimination.
Thurston County and the cities of Lacey and Tumwater issued their own proclamations earlier this month recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility.
Founded by U.S.-based transgender advocate Rachel Crandall in 2009, Transgender Day of Visibility aims to acknowledge and honor the successes achieved by people who identify as transgender, while raising awareness of the work that still needs to be done to save lives within the transgender community.
The City of Olympia has annually acknowledged Transgender Day of Visibility for several years, but the rise in the persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration has brought a sense of urgency to this year’s proclamation.
Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne noted that the City of Olympia’s social media post about Transgender Day of Visibility last year was one of the city’s most popular posts that year, and not because people were celebrating the proclamation.
“There was a lot of hate that was coming through on those comments, making the point as to why days like this are important,” Payne said after the city council read the proclamation on Tuesday, March 24. “When we're looking at what's happening around the country, that's the reason we have to do this. That's the reason we have to take time out of our agenda to do a proclamation to recognize Transgender Day of Visibility, because there are people who are actively on a daily basis trying to erase you.”
Two initiatives targeting transgender youth are set to go before Washington state voters in November — one banning transgender girls from participating in school sports and a “parental bill of rights” that LGBTQ+ advocates say repeals protections for transgender students.
On a national level, there is an ongoing rise of anti-transgender laws in Republican-controlled states that is driving many transgender and gender diverse individuals to states with strong anti-discrimination laws, like Washington state.
Olympia particularly has seen a recent influx of transgender individuals joining the community, according to an advocate who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We are in a safe haven here, but it's a safe haven that doesn't have a solid foundation,” said Aster Aberdeen, co-founder of Oly Queer Fyrd. Aberdeen called on the community as a whole to band together to support its transgender members.
“Ultimately, we have the same common goal. Our goal is to have a safe community and a place where our love can trickle up,” Aberdeen said.
Another speaker called on the City of Olympia to take more concrete action to protect its transgender residents, which council members took as a challenge to meet.
“It's difficult to hear that what we've done isn't enough, and that you still don't feel safe,” said council member Clark Gilman. “That's the challenge I hear from you, and that's, I think, our commitment, to continue the work of trying to make a place where you can be who you are.”
In the proclamation, the city “celebrates the significant contributions transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary people make to Olympia and affirms that they are vital members of our community,” also recognizing “that our transgender and gender diverse community members deserve a safe place to not just survive, but to live and thrive.”
