Who created Transgender Day of Visibility?

Historically, the LGBTQ community has fallen victim to violence and discrimination, which has made finding outlets for joy and celebration a necessity. For Rachel Crandall-Crocker, this was the case after she realized that the only trans-centered day in the U.S.—Transgender Day of Remembrance—didn’t offer opportunities to celebrate. Instead, the day was often commemorated with community memorials—an opportunity to honor trans individuals who had lost their lives in recent years. In 2009 Crandall-Crocker decided that it was time not only to remember the dead but also to celebrate the living, and so began her mission of making the day a reality. Crandall-Crocker settled on March 31st—a date far enough away to make it distinct from Pride Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance—as the official date for Transgender Day of Visibility. Since its first celebration in 2009, Transgender Day of Visibility has gained massive traction not only in the United States but in other countries as well. In 2021 U.S. President Joe Biden officially proclaimed March 31st Transgender Day of Visibility; he was the first U.S. president to do so.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: To everyone celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility, I want you to know that your President sees you. And we’re committed to advancing transgender equality in the classroom, on the playing field, at work, in our military, in our housing and health care systems — everywhere. Simply everywhere. Even with a national proclamation of the special holiday, legislators across the United States have filed hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills. Clearly there is still much work to be done in guaranteeing that trans voices are heard and protected, and many believe that providing opportunities for visibility is the first step in a greater movement toward equality and equity.