ON SATURDAY, Reading’s transgender community and its supporters marched through town to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility.
The day sees the trans community celebrate who they are and tackle erasure and hostility experienced by them and their supporters.
Reading Trans Movement led the march through Broad Street towards Forbury Gardens in a show of visibility, followed by a number of speeches.
Organiser Milan Evans headed up the march before addressing attendees, who were then invited to share their own experiences.
Evans said at the event: “We want to show Reading that we are here– we’re not some tiny minority, some pointless few we are many and we are strong.
“I’m very passionate about Trans history, and despite what they tell you that is not just a recent thing.
“We have always existed, we are not new, we are not a phase or a trend, we are people, we deserve rights and strength– we deserve dignity.”
They explained how waiting long waiting lists are affecting trans people in receiving healthcare, describing the wait times as “insane.”
“We cannot have trans people waiting more than 20 years to get the health care they need to be happy and healthy.
“We need some of the health leaders stop paying the political football of the parties.”
They also explained that visibility is also about the expression of joy as a community as well as activism.
“But today is not just about being angry, it’s also about being proud and happy and visible.
“I want us to think about that, because here we are together– I feel so comfortable and so happy seeing so many people like me together in one place.
“So what you all must remember is that we have a community and when we stick together as a community we are strong.”
Jasmin Wade, a local performer and events organiser, also addressed attendees with an emotional reading.
The piece explored the levels of representation they see in the world around them, including the use of pronouns and the efforts of trans activists.
It also examined how much “trans joy” is only experienced in the privacy of the community’s own homes as a result of public hostility.
The phrase “trans joy” is one which is used to describe the positive experiences of the trans community and challenges the negative representation of their lives in media.
It concluded that the event had been the first time Jasmine had experienced that joy outside of the privacy of their own home, instead sharing it with those who had attended.
Lorna McArdle: “I don’t identify as trans, but I do use the pronouns she and they, and I am also the CEO and founder of Support U.
“We support everyone who is LGBTQIA– and when it started I wasn’t sure where we’d go with it, and that we’d maybe have 100 people a year.
“We’re now at the stage where we get 6,500 a year, reflecting a challenging year for you all.”
She continued: “When I speak to professionals about LGBTQ+ support in the workplace, I get asked about why ‘a lot of girls want to be boys.'”
“And it’s about visibility, people seeing themselves in others– when I came out, we didn’t have that visibility.
“But you have to keep showing up, because people won’t see you, and they will keep hiding.
“We support those people who are hiding because they are scared to be themselves, and I will stand with you every single time.”
A number of attendees were then invited to share their own experiences.
