Senior Calista Ogburn wasn’t planning on publishing a book at all this year, but when the pandemic struck, so too did inspiration. As anti-Asian sentiments flooded the world and Ogburn herself faced hateful glares, she knew she needed to pour her frustrations into her poetry. A few months later, her poetry book “this is it” was born.

Around late March, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County sent students home, Ogburn had writer’s block. Her last poetry book, “a splash of yellow” came out in July of 2019, and she hadn’t written much since. “I thought last year’s book was it. I even contemplated whether I was a poet anymore.

“I wanted to draw attention to what’s going on right now [with anti-Asian sentiments], because I feel like it’s not really talked about anymore, but I recognize there are other things going on right now. I was afraid to put out my book last week, because I didn’t want to distract from [the Black Lives Matter movement]. I was really worried about selective activism, but I really want to say that this book is literally for everyone. Anyone can relate to this kind of pain and rage,” she said.

-from The UMBC Retriever, March 31, 2021

On March 31st, the world recognizes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).

This year, however, TDOV comes at a time of deeply harmful political movements to suppress the trans community’s access to health care and sports. As of today, three state governors have signed off on anti-trans legislation that bans trans women and girls from competing in sports and, coming down the pipeline, are more laws like those being voted on in Arkansas that would prevent gender affirming health care for trans people under age 18 (ironically, this bill is called the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation” (SAFE) Act). South Dakota bill to ban transgender girls and women from sports was vetoed by Governor Kristi Noem (R), but Governor Noem quickly passed two executive orders that effectively replicating the law. 

Chase Strangio, deputy director of transgender justice at the ACLU, recently told CNN, "There have been many existential threats to trans existence, but there's something uniquely dangerous about what's going on right at this moment with the combination of the sports bills and the health care bills… I think the impulse underlying both is to try to establish governmental policy that it's harmful to be trans."

Typically, we try to see TDOV as a day of celebration--and it is still--but it is also a call to action for all of those who call themselves allies to the trans community. 

This TDOV, we hope you consider taking action and actively fighting against these measures. Some suggestions for next steps include:

• writing the governors of the various states that are considering and passing these bills, 

• donating to trans organizations working to fight against this bigotry, 

• and/or calling your own state and federal representatives to demand they stand up for trans people’s right to both healthcare and participation in sports. 

For all of these actions, you can find/send pre-formed emails here and even more easy action items here.

In addition to doing this important work, consider simply learning more about the transgender community by centering trans creators, authors, activists, artists, scientists, policy makers, etc. Below, we have gathered resources to read/listen to/watch and folks to follow on social media. These are just a very few of the people and groups that you should look into--so please do explore further!

Visibility is a small step toward progress, but it’s only the first of many. There is still so much work to be done, as we can see by today’s news, but we can continue to build the futures we imagine. We can keep dreaming up utopia, uplifting transgender voices, and constructing bridges between difference.

Today, I hope that you spend some time thinking about a trans affirming, trans liberatory, trans joyous future--and maybe take the time also bring society a little closer to that kind of reality. 

RESOURCE LIST

People to Follow

Chase Strangio, deputy director of transgender justice for the ACLU

• Instagram | Twitter

Alok Vaid-Menon, author, performer, and artist 

• Instagram | Twitter

Katelyn Burns, journalist with VOX

• Twitter

Chase Mosier, professional athlete and founder of transathlete (see below)

• Instagram | Twitter

Raquel Willis, activist, writer, and organizer 

• Instagram | Twitter

Schuyler Bailar, first trans D1 athlete, speaker, and advocate

• Instagram | TikTok

Wednesday Holmes, illustrator and writer

• Instagram

Ericka Hart, sex educator and writer

• Instagram | Twitter

Organizations to Follow

Intransitive was founded by two Trans people in response to the gap of intersectional Trans spaces in Northwest Arkansas. From its inception, Intransitive took on shutting down TERF recruitment events by organizing local and regional Trans people in the state.

• Instagram | Twitter

FORGE reduces the impact of trauma on trans/non-binary survivors and communities by empowering service providers, advocating for systems reform, and connecting survivors to healing possibilities. FORGE strives to create a world where ALL voices, people and bodies are valued, respected, honored, and celebrated; where every individual feels safe, supported, respected, and empowered.

• Instagram | Twitter

TransAthlete is a resource for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information about trans inclusion in athletics at various levels of play. This site pulls together existing information in one central location, and breaks down information into easy-to-reference areas to help you find what you need.

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." The ACLU works at the national level and has affiliate locations throughout the U.S.

• Instagram | Twitter

Women’s Center Blogs/Zines to Read

Trans Women in Women’s Spaces: A Reflection of the Transition of Privilege and Belonging

By Autumn Cook, March 26, 2020 

Genderqueer & Trans Fashion Zine

By Scout Hertl, Spring 2019

Our Mothers

By Dan Willey and Amelia Meman, 2017

Other Readings and Texts

How Many Trans Kids Will Die While We Await This Mythic Trans Sports Takeover? by Chase Strangio

Transgender Week of Visibility and Action (Google Doc with information and resources for activism)

Trans Athletes Bills Explained by Katelyn Burns

Myths About Trans Athletes Debunked by Chase Strangio and Gabriel Arkles

Women’s Sports Foundation Statement on President Biden’s “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”

Trans History You Never Learned in School by Thomas Page McBee

Visibility Alone Will Not Keep Transgender Youth Safe by Chase Strangio and Raquel Willis

Youth Activists Lead the Fight Against Anti-Trans Bills by Jo Yurcaba

As we gain more information and folks share resources, we are updating a Google Doc with this information. You can check that out here.

The UMBC Kinetic Sculpture Team will share their process for redesigning the “MC Hammerhead” kinetic sculpture, including research on sustainable design (McDonough and Braungart 2002, 2013), Agile methods of project management (Ullman 2008) and integrative strategies for combining the expertise of majors from engineering, visual arts, information systems, anthropology, psychology, and Asian Studies (Miller&Boix Mansilla 2004). 

The Team will share art and engineering sketches, photos of the design and build process, and videos of the test ride of the twenty foot shark sculpture. Team members will discuss their experiments with reclaimed materials, including how they tested material integrity through prototyping. Building on the visual communication the Kraken Upcycle Team used regarding plastic accumulation as the new monster of the sea, the Shark Sculpture Team will create visual metaphors highlighting the importance of using recycled plastics.  

The project is continually evolving in iterative cycles, merging past teams’ work with current team members’ personal experience and skills that they bring to the project. Finally, the team will discuss the broader impact of sustainable design through examples such as WashedAshore.org and the work of artist Angelia Haseltine Pozzi.

URCAD.umbc.edu