Transgender Day of Visibility

The Chancellor’s Committee for the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer People is proud to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, 2022. Transgender Day of Visibility is dedicated to celebrating transgender people, our/their contributions to community and society, and raising awareness of the work that is still needed for trans equality. Transgender activists, like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, were at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement. Through the foundation of their pursuits, that torch has now been passed to us.

One of the first steps toward making change is to bring awareness. Our committee wants to stress the importance of using a trans person’s correct name and pronouns. This is a required minimum way to respect trans people and work toward creating an environment that values inclusion. Not using a trans person’s name or pronouns is another form of disrespect against transgender people. If you encounter someone not using a trans person’s name or pronouns, check in with the trans person, disrupt communication and speak up. It is not the job of trans people to create inclusion of trans people.

We urge all UIC students and employees to make space and provide support for our many trans, and especially the trans feminine students, staff and faculty on campus. Our trans community is in need of care and support, now more than ever, with widespread anti-transgender legislation, physical violence, and other hate responses that are primarily directed to transmisogyny-affected people and especially toward Black and Brown trans feminine people.

We are committed to working toward making space such that transgender people at UIC feel included. If you are trans and a member of the UIC community, the following resources are available to you:

• UIC Gender and Sexuality Center’s Trans Resource Guide
• UIC Counseling (for students): The Center’s intake phone number is 312-996-3490 and you can find information about an initial consultation HERE.
• UI Health resource for identifying LGBTQ affirming providers/services at UI Health and for information about educational training: Robbe Walton (She/Her/Hers), Patient Services Specialist – LGBTQ Navigator, 312-413-3083, burton8@uic.edu
• UIC Bias Reporting Tool: Bias Reporting & Prevention

The Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) provides crisis and non-crisis peer-support services for people who are transgender, non-binary, and questioning their gender identity.

UIC’s Chancellor Committee for the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer People.