Transgender Day of Visibility is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and their contributions to society while also raising awareness of discrimination they face worldwide and in our own communities. Today and every day, we celebrate trans people for being who they are and brightening up the world.
Discrimination Hasn’t Stopped
Anti-trans bills continue to be introduced across the country at a startling rate to block trans people from receiving basic healthcare, education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly exist. There are currently 465 active anti-transgender bills in 44 states many aimed at:
- Making it illegal to provider gender-affirming care including therapy
- Making gender-affirming care for anyone up to age 26 illegal
- Making all gender-affirming care illegal
- Making it illegal to use any LGBTQ+ materials in all schools
- Making it illegal to use pronouns
Today, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, we are asking our fellow allies to lend your voice by reaching out to lawmakers in opposition of harmful legislation. The voices of the trans community are not being taken seriously, and as a result more people will struggle to imagine a future with them in it.
Lend your voice to support the trans community!
We are asking our fellow allies to lend your voice by reaching out to lawmakers in opposition to harmful legislation. The voices of the trans community are not being taken seriously, and as a result more people will struggle to imagine a future with them in it.
Click to see the 2023 Anti-Trans Bills: Trans Legislation Tracker.
See the various bills, read the bills’ text, and view the bills on the state website, where you can easily contact lawmakers to provide feedback on the bill.
Find your elected officials and contact them.
Create a more welcoming world
At Walden, we believe that there has never been a more critical time to stand in support of our trans and gender diverse clients, colleagues, friends and family members.
We see our collective role to always be improving how we provide gender-affirming care and continuously looking for ways to be authentic allies to the transgender and nonbinary community.
And the truth is, we all can create a more welcoming world through small acts of kindness like adding our pronouns to our email signature to broader movement building initiatives.
Becoming more welcoming can include:
- Developing cultural humility. Consider taking Harvard’s Implicit Association Test that measures attitudes and beliefs that you may be unwilling or unable to report.
- Including pronouns during intros, email signatures, and along with other personal identifiers
- Properly identifying gender-neutral spaces
- Hosting regular trainings
- Recognizing chosen names
- Referring to and sharing our Provider’s Guide to Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community
“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”- Marsha P. Johnson
Additional LGBTQIA+ Resources & News
Michael, a past Walden patient, submitted a powerful guest blog post, Culturally Responsive ED Care Helped Save My Life.
Walden has a new Commitment to DEI webpage. We invite you to read more about how we strive to be inclusive and celebrate diversity through our programs, DEI Group, and initiatives.
Walden’s Rainbow Road program was recently named best online eating disorder therapy for LGBTQIA+ by Verywell Mind, an award-winning health and wellness resource that reaches 150 million readers each year. The editorial team over at Verywell Mind recently updated their list of top online therapy services, and we are proud that Walden was featured among the best!
Walden offers a LGBTQ Alumni Support Group on Fridays at 3 pm ET is for anyone who identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, is 18+, and who previously received treatment at Walden. Attendees do not exclusively have to have been in Walden’s Rainbow Road program. This is a safe space that will be hosted by LGBTQ staff members on Fridays to receive support from other former clients around how their LGBTQIA+ identity ties into their ED recovery.
National Alliance for Eating Disorders has a LGBTQ+ Support Group as well.
Walden is also grateful for our medical partners in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Anchor Health of CT and Fenway Health of MA, who we partner with regularly to make sure our LGBTQIA+ clients receive the specialized care they need and deserve.
