(HRC.org)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Coming Out Stories

Transgender Day of Visibility recognized in Red Deer

Mar 31, 2019 | 10:40 AM

Today, and every day, people who are transgender continue the fight to be heard and understood.

March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV), a day to let the world know transgender folks are relevant and valid, according to Terry Bradley, a board member with Red Deer-based Trans and Non-Binary Aid Society.

“We’re here and we are people, we’re part of society, and we’re just like everybody else. We’re not a sideshow,” he says.

Asked what the biggest thing is that’s holding society back from recognizing that, Bradley points to an inadequate level of education on the subject.

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“There is a lack of people that just want to learn,” he says. “People fear what they don’t know and there are lots of people who push back because they just don’t want to learn, they’re not willing to learn something new and broaden their mindset.”

Bradley, who came out as a transgender man at the age of 19 in 2009, recalls having no idea where to even start in terms of transitioning.

“I had come across a few YouTube videos that helped me. Then I came across a documentary about a trans man down in the States. He was the first trans man I had ever seen, and I thought ‘Wow, there’s actually somebody out there who feels the way I’m feeling and has gone through everything,’” he says.

“I was basically seeking out anything that represented me, and at the time, there wasn’t a whole lot out there, so that’s why it’s important for me to be visible for other people out there like me.”

TANAS is hosting a circle talk focused on coming out stories Sunday at the Red Deer Public Library’s Snell Auditorium downtown. It gets going at 1:30 and is open to the public.

International Transgender Day of Visibility was first held in 2009.