Transgender Awareness Week: Honoring Visibility, Advocacy, and Remembrance
Transgender Awareness Week: Honoring Visibility, Advocacy, and Remembrance
Every year from November 13 to 19, we pause to really see and honor the transgender community. Transgender Awareness Week isn’t just a date on the calendar. It’s an invitation to listen, learn, and show up with compassion. It’s a time when trans people and allies share stories, raise awareness, and stand together against the ignorance and violence that still hurt too many lives.
This week leads into Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, a day to honor the lives of trans people lost to anti-trans violence. It began in 1999, when activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith held a vigil for Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman whose death was met with silence. That local gathering grew into a worldwide movement of remembrance and resolve.
At its core, Transgender Awareness Week is about love, truth, and courage. It’s about honoring what it takes to live authentically in a world that doesn’t always make space for that kind of bravery.
Who Transgender Awareness Week Is For
Transgender Awareness Week is for everyone. It’s for those who are out and proud, and for those who can’t be yet. It’s for allies who are still learning how to do better, and for communities trying to figure out what real inclusion looks like. It’s for the young trans person finding the words to describe who they are, and for the ones who came before them, the ones who didn’t always have those words but lived their truth anyway.
This week asks us to think about visibility, what it means, what it costs, and how it can save lives. When trans people are represented with honesty and care, the world starts to shift. Understanding grows. Empathy grows. That kind of visibility can change laws, hearts, and futures. But it can also come with risk in a world that still meets difference with hostility.
That’s why visibility has to be matched with protection, solidarity, and real listening. Being an ally isn’t about saying the right things online. It’s about showing up, learning, and helping create safer, more affirming spaces, not just this week but every day.
6 Voices to Follow During Transgender Awareness Week
If you’re ready to listen, learn, and amplify trans perspectives, start here. These creators, advocates, and storytellers are shaping the conversation and the future.
- Casey Blake (@thecaseyblake) – YouTuber and advocate who blends makeup artistry with personal storytelling. Through honesty, humor, and fashion-forward creativity, Casey builds visibility and community while reminding viewers that authenticity is its own kind of beauty. (See more about Casey below)
- Raquel Willis (@raquel_willis) – Writer, activist, and author of The Risk It Takes to Bloom, Raquel’s work centers Black trans liberation and community storytelling.
- Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) – Civil rights attorney and fierce advocate for transgender justice through policy, law, and visibility.
- Alok Vaid-Menon (@alokvmenon) – Poet, performer, and fashion icon known for challenging gender binaries through art and empathy.
- Schuyler Bailar (@pinkmantaray) – The first openly trans NCAA Division I swimmer, now an educator and speaker on inclusion and belonging.
- Tourmaline (@tourmaliiine) – Filmmaker, historian, and artist whose work celebrates Black trans history and joy with radical tenderness.
Follow these voices not to consume their stories, but to honor them. Listen deeply. Share responsibly. Learn continuously.
The Realities Beneath the Headlines
In recent years, anti-trans legislation and rhetoric have surged across the United States and beyond. Bills restricting access to gender-affirming healthcare, banning trans youth from sports, and limiting expression in classrooms are reminders that progress is never linear.
Behind every political talking point are real people: students trying to feel safe at school, families navigating impossible laws, and adults fighting to live authentically without fear of losing their jobs, housing, or safety. The stakes are personal and immediate.
That’s why awareness must evolve into action. It’s not enough to know that discrimination exists. We have to dismantle it. We have to advocate for inclusive healthcare, support trans youth, amplify trans-led organizations, and hold space for conversations that challenge bias instead of avoiding it.
Living Authentically: A Trans Journey Toward Self-Understanding
“My experience being trans has always been very complicated and to this day I still struggle to understand my gender identity. Although I have a supportive family and friends who relate to me, it still can feel very isolating. For the longest time that consumed me and I felt uncomfortable and misunderstood. In my personal experience getting top surgery was the most gender affirming and life saving thing I could’ve ever received. Gender affirming surgery isn’t for every trans person and everyone’s expression and decisions are valid and based on your personal preference, choice of expression and experience. For me, gender affirming care made me genuinely feel comfortable in my skin and I don’t know what I’d do without it. Although being trans is a very challenging, socially and personally, it’s a beautiful thing to separate my sex at birth to my gender and be able to be and express in ways that reflect who I truly am.”
– Atticus B.
From Awareness to Advocacy: What GLAAD Does
One organization leading that charge is GLAAD. Known globally for its work transforming media narratives, GLAAD’s mission extends far beyond Hollywood. They work across industries to ensure that LGBTQ+ stories are told accurately, compassionately, and without the sensationalism that too often distorts the truth.
During Transgender Awareness Week, GLAAD provides toolkits, guides, and resources to help individuals, workplaces, and media outlets speak respectfully about transgender people. Their advocacy focuses on education, representation, and accountability – empowering allies to challenge misinformation and helping trans voices be heard on their own terms.
The GLAAD Media Reference Guide: Focus on Transgender People
Representation, after all, isn’t just about visibility – it’s about agency. When trans people tell their own stories, they reclaim the narrative that’s too often written about them instead of with them. GLAAD helps shift that balance, ensuring that trans experiences are portrayed not as tragedies or stereotypes, but as full, complex human lives.
As they remind us, the stories we share shape the world we live in. When those stories include truth, diversity, and hope, we all rise together.
The Power of Memory: Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20 marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, a solemn close to the week’s celebration of visibility. TDOR is not a day of despair – it’s a day of truth-telling and honoring. Across the world, vigils are held, names are read aloud, and candles are lit for those lost to anti-trans violence. Many of the names are women of color, a stark reminder of how racism and transphobia intersect in deadly ways.
Each year’s list of names is heartbreaking. Each one is a person who laughed, dreamed, and loved. Their stories deserve to be remembered not only for how their lives ended but for who they were: the artists, parents, friends, and dreamers behind the headlines.
To remember is to resist forgetting. TDOR calls us to keep their memory alive by continuing the work they were denied the chance to see completed – a world where trans people can live without fear.
From Pride to Presence: The Ongoing Movement
At NamaSLAY Crew, we’ve always believed that self-expression is sacred – that visibility, in every form, can be a form of healing. When we talk about slaying every day, we’re talking about courage. About showing up for yourself and others, even when it’s hard.
Transgender Awareness Week shares that same heartbeat. It reminds us that identity isn’t just something you declare – it’s something you live, and protect, and nurture. It’s not about performance; it’s about presence.
The message we carry through our creative projects, our words, and our art echoes this truth: you deserve to take up space. You deserve safety. You deserve to exist in full color.
Our community is built on radical acceptance and creative freedom. Whether through fashion, writing, or conversation, we aim to amplify the stories that matter… to honor the lived realities of people who are too often overlooked. Because advocacy takes many forms: art, words, action, and compassion.
Fashion, Culture, and the Language of Liberation
We’ve written before about fashion as activism, about how what we wear can make statements that go deeper than fabric. For transgender and queer communities, clothing has long been both shield and expression. It’s a form of self-definition in a world that loves its boxes.
But advocacy doesn’t need to be worn to be real. Sometimes it’s in what you say. Sometimes it’s in what you choose to learn, or unlearn. Sometimes it’s in how you show up when someone is misgendered or made invisible. Activism begins in awareness and grows through consistency.
Just as Pride Month reminds us that visibility is a political act, Transgender Awareness Week expands on that truth: visibility is a matter of survival. Every conversation, every pronoun respected, every platform shared – these are acts of care that ripple outward.
When you choose to speak up, you help rewrite the story of what allyship looks like. And when you listen, you make space for voices that have always been there, waiting to be heard.
Featured Resource:
Casey Blake’s Transgender Resource Hub
Finding clarity, understanding, or language around gender can be a deeply personal journey. Whether you’re exploring your own identity or supporting someone you love, having access to grounded, affirming information can make all the difference.
This one hits close to home for me. My niece, Casey Blake, created this resource hub to help people find clarity and compassion in a world that doesn’t always make that easy. Watching her grow into her voice and use it to help others has been one of the most inspiring things I’ve witnessed.
Casey Blake’s Resources
Casey’s website provides a welcoming, compassionate starting point for anyone seeking information about gender identity or transition.
The site features a collection of guides and FAQs designed to support both transgender individuals and allies at every stage of understanding, including:
- Speak to a Professional / Find Support – Direct links to help you connect with affirming mental health professionals and community support networks.
- Am I Transgender? Start Here – Thoughtful insight and self-reflective guidance for those beginning to question their gender identity.
- My Loved One is Transgender – A gentle, informative space for family and friends seeking to learn how to show up with love, respect, and understanding.
- Gender Spectrum & Trans Success Stories – Real-world stories and educational resources that celebrate diversity and possibility within the transgender experience.
- More sections are on the way, including “Where Do I Start?” and “Explaining the Gender Spectrum,” expanding the site’s commitment to accessibility and education.
This resource is rooted in compassion, offering a bridge between curiosity and connection, a place where learning feels safe and personal growth is encouraged.
For anyone looking to move from awareness to informed allyship, Casey’s Resource Hub is a great next step!
How You Can Show Up This Week and Beyond
If you’re wondering where to start, here are a few ways to honor Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance meaningfully:
- Educate yourself and others. Learn about trans identities, history, and current issues. Follow trans creators, journalists, and advocates.
- Support trans-led organizations. Donate to or volunteer with groups doing the work on the ground, especially those supporting trans youth and BIPOC trans individuals.
- Use your platform. Whether you have 100 followers or 100,000, your voice matters. Share accurate information and uplift trans voices.
- Listen and believe. Center trans people’s experiences without questioning or minimizing their truths.
- Create safer spaces. From classrooms to workplaces, practice using inclusive language and challenge discrimination when you see it.
Allyship isn’t a badge; it’s a practice. One rooted in humility, compassion, and courage.
A Future Worth Fighting For
Transgender Awareness Week and the Day of Remembrance remind us that progress is a personal journey. Every act of kindness, every conversation that replaces judgment with understanding, brings us closer to the inclusive world we imagine.
At NamaSLAY, we stand with the trans community today and every day. We honor those we’ve lost and celebrate those who continue to live boldly and beautifully. Because the fight for equality isn’t just about rights – it’s about love, belonging, and the freedom to exist as yourself.
This awareness week, and beyond, we commit to listening, learning, and showing up. To building a future where everyone is safe to shine.
Because when one of us slays, we all rise.
Sources:
- Glaad. (2025). Transgender Awareness Week. https://www.glaad.org/transweek
- Human Rights Campaign. (2025). Understanding the fight for transgender equality. https://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender
- Smith, G. A. (1999). Transgender Day of Remembrance. Transgender Day of Remembrance Project. https://tdor.translivesmatter.info
- Trevor Project. (2024). National survey on LGBTQ youth mental health. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024
- National Center for Transgender Equality. (2022). U.S. Transgender Survey. https://transequality.org
