Why International Women’s Day Must Mean Trans Women, Too

CW: This piece references the pervasive violence against trans women.

“Happy International Women’s Day!” I thumb on my phone. Heart emoji, sun emoji. Send.

“To you too!” she responds with a heart.

I can’t help but think of my former partner on March 8. It’s her first International Women’s Day out as a trans woman. We can't recognize this day, let alone Women's History Month, without explicitly celebrating and honoring trans women and transfemme people as keystones of our community and history. 

Trans women are women, and they face the same challenges that cis women experience, including physical and sexual assault, threats against their bodily autonomy, workplace and pay discrimination, and much more.

In fact, trans women, especially trans women of color, can face even higher rates of violence than their cis counterparts. According to the National Library of Medicine, trans individuals experience a significantly higher prevalence of intimate partner violence than cis people do. Also, the UCLA School of Law reported in 2021 that “Transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault.”

The fact is this: the moment we start drawing lines between which women are or are not worth fighting for, we’ve already lost as a collective.

March 8 has passed, but I still encourage you to ask yourself: When you fight for women’s rights and protections, when you celebrate women’s accomplishments, when you repost an International Women’s Day graphic on Instagram, are you explicitly including trans women in your advocacy? 

If you are, excellent. Keep going. If you’re not, let this be the moment you start. Here are a few practices to help integrate trans-inclusive feminism into your everyday life:

• Volunteer with organizations led by and serving trans women in your community and beyond. The Black AIDS Institute compiled this resource of Black, trans-led organizations. Them compiled this resource of organizations supporting trans people in all 50 states.

• Speak up when you hear misinformation, disinformation, and/or bigoted/transphobic rhetoric.

• Read, watch, and listen to the work of trans women. My former partner particularly enjoys the work of YouTubers Abigail Thorn (Philosophy Tube) and Natalie Wynn (ContraPoints).

• Advocate for accessibility and inclusiveness for trans women in the spaces you occupy.

  
  

If you’re new to trans-inclusive feminism, check out this resource from Human Rights Campaign. Also, this piece from Advocates for Trans Equality, an organization for and by transgender people in the United States, is a useful guide for those invested in being accomplices and allies to the trans community.

Trans women are not afterthoughts - they are woven into the very fabric of womanhood. Trans women have always existed and will always exist. Any definition of womanhood that does not include them is blatantly erroneous - and advocacy that does not include them is not true advocacy.

So, how are you uplifting and centering trans women this International Women's Day, and Women's History Month? I want to hear about it! Drop me a line and let me know how you, your organization, or your business are advancing women's rights through an intersectional lens.

This piece was written in consultation with my dear friend and former partner.