On March 31, transgender leaders and community members gathered at Atlanta City Hall for “Deeper Than Visibility,” a summit in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility.
The event was hosted by SnapCo and the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (MOEDI). Along with enjoying community, brunch, and music from trans harpist Ahya Simone, attendees listened to prominent trans leaders discuss the fight for trans rights.
The summit was inspired by SnapCo’s Deeper Than Visibility Report, released in 2022 to highlight the policing experiences of people of all racial and gender identities and offer policy recommendations for a safer Atlanta.
“Today, we’re here to reclaim and redefine our stories and the messages that make us unique as trans folks and safe while we’re navigating everyday life,” said SnapCo Executive Director and event host Toni-Michelle Williams.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also gave opening remarks highlighting the city’s dedication to the transgender community.
“I really want everyone here to think about how we can all go deeper in our work to really build a city of opportunity for everyone, because visibility alone is just not enough,” Dickens said. “Yes, more people feel empowered to live openly, but are their voices genuinely being heard? Are their needs genuinely being met? And are we showing up as better neighbors, better partners, and better advocates for them? Here in Atlanta, we believe everyone deserves to live with dignity, without fear, and with the freedom to be their true selves. Our administration stands with the transgender community today and every day.”
To further cement the city’s commitment to the trans community, Dickens, MOEDI, and the Atlanta City Council issued a proclamation officially recognizing March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility and honoring the following transgender advocates in Atlanta: SnapCo, The Legendary Club Marquette, Game Changing Men, Spark Reproductive Justice, Toni-Michelle Williams, Chanel Haley, Shannon Balenciaga, Dee Dee Lanvin Chanel, Toi Washington Reynolds, Raquel L. Balenciaga, Shae Shae Chanel, Paula Sinclair, Dean Steed, Everette Thompson, Amiyah Scott, Malik Brown, Raquel Willis, Sophia McIntosh and Fatima Jamal.
The event also included a panel discussion featuring prominent leaders in Atlanta’s trans and LGBTQ+ community on the role of solidarity among the queer community, trans participation in policy making, queer and trans family units, how to create systems of safety and security centering trans people, and the legislative attacks on the trans community.
“I think what is really important for y’all to understand is these people do not have a real plan, and they know that, and they’re anxious and they’re scared of their own incompetence. All they know how to do is attack us because they’re jealous of our joy,” Bentley Hudgins, the Georgia State Director for the Human Rights Campaign, said. “So, besides taking action and contacting your representatives, remember that you’re worth it, and remember that you’re supposed to be here and protect your joy and your peace and create moments of trans and queer love and joy and peace, because that’s how we make it through this. They cannot and will not defeat us as long as we keep loving each other.”
“If a person can decide to transcend the gender binary, then it could mean that a whole community could decide to transcend the need for police,” Che Johnson-Long, the Community Safety Education Coordinator at Vision Change Win, said. “If a community could decide that it wants to transform the way that people deal with gender-affirming health care, if a community wanted to decide that hormones were going to become more accessible and surgeries were going to become cheaper, then it could be possible that a whole city can decide that it doesn’t need a cop city. It’s not just that y’all are joyful and beautiful and gender fabulous [to explain why the right is attacking trans rights], it’s because you’re leading the movement to tear shit down and building something new, and that’s terrifying to fascists.”
Hudgins and other panelists highlighted the importance of contacting your elected representatives, “even if you know they agree with us, even if you know they disagree with us,” Ben Ackerley, the Metro Atlanta Chapter Co-Leader at TransParent, said. You can text GAREP to 472-472 to get in touch with your representatives.
