Celebrating Trans+ lives — Transgender Day of Visibility 2022

Dear UVic community,

March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to celebrating the lives of Trans+, Two-Spirit, non-binary and gender-diverse people.

It is also a day to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by Trans+ people worldwide, an opportunity for Trans+ people to celebrate — and for everyone else to reaffirm collective and individual commitments to allyship and to honouring and empowering Trans+ people.

Transgender and gender-diverse people have enormous influence on our society and culture. Trans+ folks are artists, they are scientists, they are doctors and lawyers, they are activists, they are part of every aspect of our communities and their achievements and contributions make everyone's lives richer.

At UVic, we are lucky to have such close access to the Transgender Archives, founded by the Chair in Transgender Studies, Aaron Devor. Committed to preserving the history of pioneering activists, community leaders and researchers who have contributed to the betterment of Trans+ and other gender-diverse people, the Transgender Archives is the world’s largest collection of its kind. Checking out the digital collections is a great way to spend time today learning about and celebrating Trans+ lives.

While this is a day about celebration, I must also acknowledge that there is more work to do here at UVic to ensure our community is a safe, welcoming place for Trans+ and gender-diverse people. This year, we have seen multiple incidents of transphobia and trans-antagonism. This is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

I am committed to providing a safe and inclusive living, working and learning environment for all members of the UVic community. I encourage students, staff and faculty to continue to dedicate ourselves to advocate against the prejudice, discrimination and violence that affect the Trans+ and gender-diverse members of our community.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, and every day, let's celebrate the many contributions of Trans+ members of our community.

Learn about Trans+ visibility events, initiatives, resources and supports at UVic.

Sincerely,
Kevin 

Kevin Hall, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor