Hundreds march for trans visibility in DC: “We stand tall because that is power”

A trans Pride flag is flown at the International Women’s Day March in Karachi, Pakistan on March 8, 2021 Photo: Shutterstock

After five years, the National Trans Visibility March returned to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, featuring hundreds of trans people gathering together and marching.

“We stand tall because that is power; the ability to influence the people that say that they were un-influential, the ability to speak life into people who have had their very existence crushed by the folks that were supposed to nurture and honor them,” said Hope Giselle, president of the Visibility March,

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The march featured over 400 attendees and included Rev. Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey, Howard University’s first trans student president Jay Jones, activist Ollie Henry, Executive Director of DC and MD Safe Haven Iya Dammons, Trans Mayland founder Lee Blinder, Louis Shackelford of HIV Vaccine Trials Network, and HRC President Kelley Robinson.

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“You can’t get to equality where Black trans women are being killed in the streets. You can’t get to equality where our trans and non-binary kids are under attack,” Robinson said.

“Y’all, none of us is free until all of us are free,” she continued. She was presented with a Torch Award for “individuals whose work has impacted the lives of Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Non Binary (TGNCNB) communities across the nation.”

The crowd shouted “Trans Power” and held signs saying “Trans rights are human rights,” “Protect our trans siblings,” and “Trans Lives Matter” as they marched from the HRC headquarters at 1 P.M, eventually going on 17th Street, N.W. before heading on P Street, N.W., toward Dupont Circle. They eventually circled back to the HRC headquarters.

Jordan Alexander, who was elected king at the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition’s Pageant in May, said, “This march makes sure that people like us see people like us. A lot of the time we don’t see positive images of ourselves. There’s a lot of talk about how we kind of go at each other, and so this is just a great time for us to come together as family and to show people that we can unite when it’s time,”

Attendees celebrated the event on social media as well.

“National Trans visibility day, DC. The march aims to bring attention to the relevance of trans individuals in society and in politics. ❤️”