Tuesday is Transgender Day of Visibility, which should not be confused with Transgender Day of Remembrance or International Drag Day. As Dan O’Donnell notes, a full 41 percent of each year is dedicated to LGBTQ days, weeks, or months.
LGBTQ advocates are marking International Transgender Day of Visibility today, one of a comical 150-plus days of the calendar year dedicated to gay and transgender causes.
Please note that today is Transgender Day of Visibility, not Transgender Day of Remembrance—that’s part of the Transgender Week of Remembrance in November. It should also not be confused with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia in May or International Drag Day in July.
The year starts in January with No Name-Calling Week, which is held in schools across the country to address bullying of LGBTQ students. The entire month of February is LGBT History Month, which includes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness day on February 7th, Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week the week after Valentine’s Day, and HIV Is Not a Crime Awareness Day on February 28th.
The entire month of March is Bisexual Health Awareness Month and includes National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week before culminating Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st.
April is the first month in a while not to be designated as an LGBTQ-themed month, but it does feature International Asexuality Day on April 6th and Lesbian Visibility Day on April 26th.
In May, the LGBTQ community marks International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on May 17th, Agender Pride Day on May 19th, Harvey Milk Day on May 22nd and Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness Day on May 24th.
June is, of course, Pride Month, which features parades, celebrations, and drag shows for children for a full 30 days. In July, International Non-Binary People’s Day falls on July 14th and two days later it’s International Drag Day on July 16th.
Remarkably, there are no LGBTQ-themed days or weeks in August, but September sees Bisexual Awareness Week the week of September 23rd.
October is LGBT History Month with International Lesbian Day on October 8th, National Coming Out Day on October 11th, Asexual Awareness Week in late October and Intersex Awareness Day on October 26th.
November has Transgender Awareness Week as well as Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th.
The year then wraps up in December with World AIDS Day on December 1st and Pansexual Pride Day on December 8th.
That totals more than 150 days of a 365-day year dedicated to LGBTQ pride, awareness, or remembrance. How could anyone not be aware of the LGBTQ community when 41% of each year is spent celebrating it?
Regardless, be sure to mark Transgender Day of Visibility today since you won’t have another chance to honor something related to sexuality for a full seven days before Asexual Awareness Day on April 6th.
