Observing International Transgender Day of Visibility around Tri-State area

THIS IS FORORR — ANTI-TRANSGENDER LEGISLATION ON THE RISE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. HERE TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE STATE IS DAVID KILMNICK, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF THE LGBT NETWORK. GOOD MORNING, DAVID. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT DAY. IT IS! LET’S START WITH WHY THIS DAY IS SO IMPORTANT. TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY IS TO CELEBRATE THE COMMUNITY AND IT IS REAL IMPORTANT THAT WE RAISE THE AWARENESS OF THE NEED TO ACHIEVE TRANS-JUSTICE. AS YOU MENTIONED, IN 2023, THERE WERE OVER 400 LGBTQ BILLS INTRODUCED IN DIFFERENT STATES ACROSS

THE COUNTRY AND MOST OF THEM TARGETING TRANS FOLKS AND TRANS YOUTH SPECIFICALLY . WHAT OUR EXISTENCE. THEY ARE TRYING TO ERASE OUR EXISTENCE FROM A PUBLIC LIFE AND THE LAW. PATHS, IT WILL REPRESENT EXTREME ROLLBACKS TO THE FREEDOMS EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE. THIS DAY OF VISIBILITY SHOWS THAT TRANS FOLKS ARE PART OF EVERY FAMILY, EVERY WORKPLACE, EVERY COMMUNITY AND WE NEED TO DO OUR PART TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN HAVE THE CHANCE TO LIVE IT FREELY AND OPENLY. DAVID, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE WHO ARE TRANSGENDER AND ARE AFRAID TO COME OUT? SOMETIMES THERE IS

A MISNOMER ABOUT COMING OUT, LIKE IT IS A ONE AND DONE DEAL. EVERY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO NAVIGATE THEIR OWN SITUATION. AND SO, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT CAN BE AN

ARDUOUS JOURNEY, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE TODAY’S CLIMATE AND CULTURE. FOLKS NEED TO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THEIR CIRCLES AND NAVIGATE THAT TO THE BEST THEY CAN. ONCE YOU DO COME OUT, IT IS THE MOST FREEING EXPERIENCE THAT ONE WILL EXPERIENCE. WHEN YOU COME OUT, YOU’RE LIVING YOUR LIFE UNAPOLOGETICALLY, AUTHENTICALLY. FOR EVERYONE OUT HERE, WE SHOULD BE DOING OUR PART TO MAKE SURE THE TRANS COMMUNITY CAN COME OUT AND

LIVE THEIR LIVES FREELY, OPENLY, UNAPOLOGETICALLY EVERY DAY, EVERY MINUTE OF THEIR LIVES. OFFICE IS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE. TELL US ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON THERE. IS GOING TO BE A FABULOUS DAY. WE WILL HAVE TOURS OF OUR CENTER . THE DROP IN CENTER IS NOT ONLY FROM MARCH 31st, INTERNATIONAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY, BUT 365 DAYS A THE PUBLIC CAN LEARN ON HOW THEY CAN GET INVOLVED AND BE ACTIVE. THERE WILL BE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS, RAFFLES, AN AFFIRMATION WALL. ONE OF THE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TODAY AND REALLY EVERY SINGLE DAY IS RECOGNIZE THE

TRANS FOLKS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO HISTORY AND FOR FIGHTING TO BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY, SO PEOPLE WILL BE UPLIFTING MESSAGES SO WE CAN BE AN UPLIFTING COMMUNITY. WE WILL HAVE FREE HIV TESTING AND RAFFLES GIVEN OUT. IT WILL BE A CELEBRATION, AWARENESS, AND WHERE EVERYONE CAN FEEL SUPPORTED. DAVID, MY NEPHEW IS TRANSGENDER AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME WITH US THIS MORNING AND ALL OF THE IMPORTANT WORK YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING THAT. THANK YOU.