
Sunday, March 31 marks the 16th annual International Transgender Day of Visibility (ITDV). The event is spearheaded by Trans Student Educational resources, a US-based youth advocacy organization.
The annual ITDV increases awareness of transgender rights and conditions in which transgender people live in our society. According to the teacher-run organization GLSEN, over 80% of LGBTQ students hear negative remarks targeted at transgender people. They also report the lowest level of teacher intervention in instances of bullying. Nearly thirty percent of transgender students are prohibited from using their chosen name at school.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reports that there are 1.6 million transgender youths and adults (13 and older) in the United States. “We are parents and family members. We are your coworkers, your neighbors, and your friends. We are a diverse community, representing all racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as all faith traditions,” HRC declares on its website (hrc.org).
Looking at Michigan’s Laws
The Human Rights Campaign published a scorecard for all fifty states based on each state’s legal support of transgender people. Michigan fared pretty well, although we do still have these anti-trans laws on the books:
Prohibition of Surrogacy
Laws Permitting Discrimination in Adoption/Foster Placement
Sodomy Laws
HIV/AIDS Criminalization Laws
But the news is definitely more good than bad. Michigan has several anti-bullying laws in place to protect transgender students:
Anti-Bullying Laws - Enumerated Model Policy
Anti-Bullying Laws - Alternative Discipline
Anti-Bullying Laws - Cyberbullying
Protection from Conversion Therapy
LGBTQ+ Inclusive Juvenile Justice Policies
To read the entire scorecard: https://www.hrc.org/resources/state-scorecards/michigan-3
Respecting Pronouns

Transgender star Laverne Cox has helped spotlight the importance of supporting transgender people. She famously said, “Misgendering a trans person is an act of violence.” In 2021, President Joe Biden declared March 31 Transgender Day of Visibility.. In 2022 he invited Jeopardy contestant Amy Schneider to the White House as he announced further support of transgender rights. According to the book The Savvy Ally by Jeannie Gainsburg, one of the most important ways to support transgender individuals is to honor pronouns.
When cisgender people advocate pronoun presence on name tags, at Zoom meetings, and on signatures, they acknowledge and show respect for the transgender community. Gainsburg also advocates referring to transgender persons simply as either men or women. For instance, Laverne Cox and Amy Schneider would be referred to as women, not transgender women, in casual conversation.
For more information about Transgender Michigan’s events or other events honoring the International Month and Day of Transgender Visibility, visit their website at transgendermichigan.org.
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