Transgender
Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a powerful
reminder to honor and uplift
transgender and non-binary people. It is
also a day to celebrate the
lives and contributions of trans and
non-binary people, while
acknowledging the harsh reality of the
continued assaults on the
community.
In
commemoration of TDOV in Boston, The Theater
Offensive, in
partnership with LGBTQ+ Elders of Color,
hosted a mutual aid market
alongside a conversation series titled,
“Stories of Becoming”
with local Black trans community leaders
about their journeys, that
too often are not heard in both straight and
queer media and
communities. As the event’s promotion
beautifully affirmed: this
was a space to witness and celebrate “how
one still stands in their
power at a time when the world wants them to
fall down.” And Black
trans joy was on display.
Flipping
the script
“Being
trans is more than a tragedy story -
especially being Black and
trans,” said The Theater Offensive’s
Executive and Artistic
Director, Giselle Byrd, addressing her
audience at the Boston Center
for the Arts. Byrd is the first Black trans
woman in the country to
head a regional theater. “We create beauty
in the face of erasure.”
The
dominant “Black trans tragedy” narrative in
the media obfuscates
the full humanity and achievements of Black
trans people. This is
despite the fact that Black trans
individuals were foundational
leaders in the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights
movement, beginning with
the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969. Their
contributions have been
whitewashed - rendered invisible, if not
erased - due to the
intersecting oppressions of racism,
transphobia, and misogynoir, both
within white, straight society and in queer
communities themselves.
However, Byrd’s vision of acknowledging the
full humanity of Black
trans people is transformative. Since taking
the helm of TTO, she has
intentionally centered Black trans lives.
In
an Oprah-style Super Soul Sunday format,
Byrd facilitated two
moderated conversations, posing questions
not often asked of Black
trans people:
How
are you claiming joy?
What
sacred aspects of your childhood shape who
you are today?
Who
were your role models?
How
do you care for yourself?
What
legacy do you hope to leave through your
work?
A
man about justice
One
of the stories we rarely hear within trans
and nonbinary communities
is that of Black trans men and Black
transmasculinity. As they
navigate the world, Black trans men confront
both anti-Black racism
as men and transphobia. These forces
intersect in ways that further
marginalize their visibility, limit their
protection, and restrict
access to resources and opportunities.
Justice
Williams understands the challenge. He works
in the Mayor’s Office
of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement as a Community
Relations Specialist, a role
that reflects a lifelong calling to
community activism - one he
genuinely enjoys. His commitment to advocacy
began well before
relocating to Boston from New Jersey. “My
first act of activism,”
Williams recalls, “was fighting for African
American history
classes in my high school - and winning.”
That
same passion and determination now fuel his
work across Boston’s
diverse neighborhoods. As a Community
Relations Specialist, Williams
leads initiatives focused on education,
engagement, and empowering
communities.
Justice
shared with the audience that he came out as
trans later in life. He
spoke about how society places people into
boxes that fail to capture
the fullness of his identity and humanity.
“I was Black before I
was anything else,” Williams stated. “My
Blackness holds an
expansiveness that no box can contain.”
Williams
also emphasized that he uses the spaces he
occupies to raise
awareness about the violence facing Black
trans women. “I talk
about Rita Hester. I’ve brought people
together in her name.”
Rita Hester, a Black trans woman, was
murdered in November 1998 in
the Allston section of Boston. Her killing
sparked the “Remembering
Our Dead” web project, which became the
catalyst for the annual
International Transgender Day of
Remembrance, observed on November
20.
Teasha
Purdy: Queen Mother
Teasha
Purdy is a beloved and revered Black trans
woman in her community. A
renowned performer, Purdy has also been a
tireless activist, working
in the political sector for more than two
decades on behalf of trans
and nonbinary equality. Despite the many
accolades and awards she has
received, Purdy takes the greatest pride in
her role as a chosen
mother, having mentored and supported
numerous young people who have
gone on to thrive in their own lives. One of
her children is Candace
Persuasion of the Boston Dolls - a trans
Asian performer.
Byrd
asked Purdy if she could recall her first
experience of motherhood.
Purdy shared that she began her journey with
three children. “They
just showed up. I didn’t know what I was
doing. I just jumped in,”
she said with a laugh. “I knew these kids
were having problems at
home and were unhoused.” Black transgender
and nonbinary youth face
an elevated risk of homelessness due to
overlapping factors,
including family rejection, systemic
transphobia and racism, and
discrimination within the foster care and
justice systems.
This
crisis is further exacerbated by current
political climates, cultural
tensions, and the influence of the
traditional Black Church. Across
the African diaspora, the intersection of
race, gender identity, and
sexuality is often shaped by conservative
religious beliefs.
According to a 2022 Pew Research Center
report, approximately 70% of
Black Protestants believe that gender is
immutable - fixed at birth,
much like skin color.
The
traditional Black Church has often, and at
times unapologetically,
closed its doors to LGBTQ+ people. Even as
many of these youth turn
to the church for refuge, they frequently
find neither support nor
sanctuary. Purdy, a PK (pastor’s kid), grew
up within the Black
Church but was raised in a loving and
affirming religious family. “My
mother took a moment,” she recalled, “but my
grandfather simply
asked, ‘So what’s your name?’”
Living
beyond the day
Anti-trans
bills have surged in 2026 in just the first
three months of the year.
As of late March, according to the Trans
Legislation Tracker, more
than 680 anti-transgender bills have been
introduced or are currently
active. Of these, 22 have already passed and
31 have failed. Even in
my progressive home state of Massachusetts,
six bills are being
tracked.
TDOV
brings the community joy. Joy, however, is
not reserved for only
non-trans people. Joy is expansive because
it deepens our capacity to
love, accept ourselves and others. It
transforms existence from
simply survival to truly living one’s
authentic selves. The
transgender community deserves more than
just a single visible day to
experience what others can take for granted
everyday.
