DMS Celebrates International Transgender Day of Visibility 2022

Today marks International Transgender Day of Visibility 2022. We want to take the moment to celebrate key film figures across the Trans community who have broken down barriers.
 
These vital figures to the community include
 
– The Chile born singer and actress Daniela Vega best known for her role in A Fantastic Woman, which won an Oscar in 2018. Vega became the first Transgender person to win an Academy Award and was subsequently named by Times magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
 
– The director-sister-power-duo behind The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions – Lilly and Lana Wachowski. Who have since transitioning confirmed the films’ trans allegory – Lilly: “I’m glad that it has gotten out that that was the original intention,” Wachowski said. “The corporate world wasn’t ready for it.” At its heart, she explained, the Matrix itself “was all about the desire for transformation, but it was all coming from a closeted point of view.
 
– Hunter Schafer in hit teen drama Euphoria for her portrayal of Jules. While a trans woman playing a trans character was very important to Hunter being trans is only part of Jules’ character, rather than the driving force of her storyline. Hunter played a big role in the development of Jules and co-writing a special one-off episode of the show in 2021.

We also want to celebrate the creator of the Trans flag, Monica Helms, who created the flag in 1999. In a 2017 magazine with PRIDE, Monica explained the symbolism of what the colours meant “the colours, those have a lot of meaning as well. “The light blue is the traditional colour for baby boys, pink is for girls, and the white in the middle is for those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no gender, and those who are intersexed,” she explained.

The transgender flag first made an appearance in 2000 at the Phoenix pride where it gained popularity within the community. currently, the original flag resides at the Smithsonian national museum of American history.

We want to empower trans people to celebrate who they are, and encourage allies to voice solidarity with the trans community.

Donate to one of our chosen charities below: 

  • Mermaids – Back at the start, we were a small group of concerned parents sitting around the kitchen table, coming together to share experiences, find answers and look for ways to keep our children safe and happy. Today, Mermaids has evolved into one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, empowering thousands of people with its secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events and residential weekends. We also seek to educate and inform wider society on gender identity by helping professionals accommodate and reassure gender-diverse young people

Telephone- Helpline open Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm- 0808 801 0400

Text Chat- text MERMAIDS to 85258 for free 24/7 crisis support all across the UK.

www.mermaidsuk.org.uk

  • Stonewall – At Stonewall, they stand for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people everywhere. They imagine a world where all LGBTQ+ people are free to be themselves and we can live our lives to the full. They are part of a vibrant global movement for change made up of LGBTQ+ people, our allies, families and friends. Since day one, we’ve fought for freedom, for equity and for potential. Over the last 30 years, we have helped create transformative change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK. Today, they have equal rights to love, marry and have children, and our lives, families and relationships are represented as part of the national curriculum in most of the UK. 

www.stonewall.org.uk

  • Gendered Intelligence – Established in 2008, is a registered charity that works to increase understanding of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. Their vision is of a world where diverse gender expressions are visible and valued, and where trans, non-binary, gender diverse and gender questioning people live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives. They are a trans-led and trans-involving grassroots organisation with a wealth of lived experience, community connections of many kinds, and a depth and breadth of trans community knowledge that is second to none. The team has a variety of professional and academic specialisms and qualifications including training and facilitation, youth work, policy, the arts, and doctorates in trans-related studies. They aim to be thought leaders in this field, bringing positivity, passion and professionalism to everything they do. With their open and non-judgmental approach, they want to enable nuanced discussion.

www.genderedintelligence.co.uk 

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