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Recognizing March 31, 2024 as Transgender Day of Visibility in the City of Philadelphia, a day to celebrate and recognize the achievements and contributions of Transgender people, and to lift up the joy, triumphs, and pride that Transgender people experience and bring into our communities.
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WHEREAS, We celebrate Transgender, Non-binary, and gender expansive Philadelphians. We honor their vibrancy, their resilience, and their ability to imagine, to live, and to invite all of us into a world that exists beyond the gender binary; and
WHEREAS, International Transgender Day of Visibility takes place annually on March 31st to celebrate Transgender and Non-binary people and to recognize the myriad contributions that they bring to our communities; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Visibility was created by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, because she was tired of attending funerals and remembrances for Trans lives lost, and wanted a day for Trans people and cis people alike to celebrate existence and be together; and
WHEREAS, Trans people have existed in Philadelphia since before the founding of our City, and Philadelphia is a City that has been and continues to be a haven where Trans people can live and be in community with each other; and
WHEREAS, Tremendous Trans community members and leaders from Philadelphia, and especially Black and Brown Trans women leaders, including Janis Stacy, Jasper Liem, Ebony Ali, Tyrell Brown, Christian Lovehall, Tatyana Woodard, Madelyn Morrison, Celena Morrison, Ovid Amorson, Deej McCoy, Elizabeth Coffey Williams, Lia Thomas, Valentina Rosario, Breighton Golphin, Henry Sias, Dawn Munro, Kathleen Padilla, Sharron Cooks, Naiymah Sanchez, Hazels Edwards, and many other unsung heroes serve as role models and inspiration to every community that intersects with who they are and the experience they have; and
WHEREAS, We celebrate everything Transgender people have accomplished throughout history, and we recognize that Transgender people have contributed and continue to contribute to the betterment of our society and our City. We honor the life of Ms. Jaci Adams, Ms. Charlene Arcila, Ms. Nizah Morris, and Ms. Dawn Munro for their contribution to moving Philadelphia forward. We uplift the names and work of Ms. Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major, and Ms. Marsha P. Johnson, who were instrumental in the fight against all forms of oppression, participating in the 1965 Dewey lunch counter protests in Philadelphia, the formation of STAR, the 1969 Stonewall Riots; and
WHEREAS, We recognize that visibility alone is not enough. Until we have justice and equity for Transgender and Non-binary people, visibility will always carry some risk and may not be possible for all. Without the Fairness Act, Pennsylvania still does not have statewide anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people under the law. Recent advances in equity and visibility won by Transgender and Non-binary advocates include expanding nondiscrimination protections for Transgender residents in housing, healthcare, credit, lending, and education, government funding for Trans healthcare, and increasing the visibility of Transgender people in critical leadership roles. Despite hard-earned victories led by Trans and Non-binary leaders, there is a growing hateful effort to ban discussion and expression, invasively police bodies, regulate appearance, and deny life-saving medical care. This cruel and abhorrent campaign has had a profound effect on the health and physical safety of Trans and Non-binary folks, particularly Black and Brown Trans women; and
WHEREAS, Civil rights victories won by Trans activists have expanded judicial and legislative recognition of the fundamental rights for gender identity and expression and provided a greater number of people with the basic protections needed to ensure human dignity and self-determination. However, these rights are currently under extreme threat; and
WHEREAS, There is a growing and dangerous nationwide effort to fundamentally attack and in some cases eradicate Transgender youth and Transgender lives. Even though it is only March, there have already been 526 anti-Trans bills introduced in 41 states, 11 of which have passed and 428 that are still active. In this climate, Transgender visibility can carry the risk of devastating consequences, including fear of state separation of children from loving families, imprisonment, and forced detransition; and
WHEREAS, The hundreds of anti-Trans bills passed or introduced have created thousands of Trans refugees in our country as individuals and families are forced to flee to places where they are safer. These harmful attacks on Trans lives have also resulted in powerful resistance, support, and solidarity, especially amongst Trans youth communities and organizations who have courageously led the fight against these efforts and have expanded protections and access to healthcare in states and cities across the country; and
WHEREAS, We recognize and celebrate the work of Trans advocacy and mutual aid groups and collectives, which continue the fight for dignity and equal rights for members of the Trans community. These efforts are building inclusive and healing spaces, and protecting and defending those who are most vulnerable, including disabled folks and people in prison; and which often go who often go unacknowledged, unappreciated, and unfunded because of systemic barriers that exist for Black and Brown leaders and Transgender, Non-binary, and Gender non-conforming leaders; and
WHEREAS, Many Transgender people are killed and not remembered because the media misreports their identities. For each Transgender person unjustly and wrongly killed or lost this year and in years past, we mourn them, we honor them, and we re-commit to fighting for them and for a world where deaths like theirs never happen again; and
WHEREAS, As we grieve the loss of Transgender elders and celebrate and remember everything they have given us, we are excited for the next generation of Transgender youth to take charge, to push us all to be and do better, to thrive, to outgrow the wisdom of this generation and create their own; and
WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, we are steadfast in affirming our commitment to uphold our municipal laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in housing, employment, and public accommodations, and our intention to vigorously uphold protections for Transgender and Non-binary young people that were recently passed into law; and
WHEREAS, We believe in the inherent value of each and every person, including especially our Transgender, Non-binary, and Gender expansive community members, without exception; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Recognizes March 31, 2024 as Transgender Day of Visibility in the City of Philadelphia, a day to celebrate and recognize the achievements and contributions of Transgender people, and to lift up the joy, triumphs, and pride that Transgender people experience and bring into our communities.
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