Visibility is a luxury and privilege that transgender people have been denied and tirelessly work to attain around the world. And at the same time, to fix it for so many other trans people who have come after me.” She explains, “The number one reason I decided to take on the case against the government of Zimbabwe was because I had been wronged, and I needed to fix things as best I could. Yet for Rikki, it also greatly inspired her to pursue activism. Most of the media coverage was negative, I would say 70% of coverage was negative and 30% was positive.” Historically, transgender people have been amongst some of the most marginalized in society, which makes the battle to be visible all the more challenging and complicated. Rikki “The media tried to push the ‘man in a dress narrative’ to play on people's fears and transphobia. Rikki shared, “The first time I felt visible was after my arrest in 2014 and when my face was plastered across newspapers internationally.” Almost all of this newfound attention surrounding Rikki was negative and resulted in a variety of painful challenges and issues. In a recent interview, Rikki discussed her incredible and difficult journey with visibility, which began when Rikki was wrongfully arrested, publicly harassed, and socially ostracized by mainstream society for using the women’s restroom in Zimbabwe. Rikki’s Incredible Story And The Many Challenges For Trans People The incredible experience and journey of Rikki Nathanson, a legendary transgender activist and leader, perfectly captures this reality. However, for the transgender community around the world, attaining and maintaining visibility is an ongoing battle that sometimes turns dangerous and/or violent. To be visible can often mean being represented, validated, and appreciated. If you enjoyed reading this interview, check out In The Know’s profile on the trans fitness instructor who said cycling gave him a “second shot” at life.Visibility is an indisputable and fundamental part of the modern-day human experience. In The Know is now available on Apple News - follow us here! PT in the video above to see Matousek guide the conversation with Graf, Jam and Bailar. Watch the event live on March 31 at 11 a.m. “But there’s also visibility of me knowing myself and me saying, ‘Hey, I’m transgender and I’m visible to myself.'” “I think we often think of visibility as public-facing,” Bailar said. “I grew up never seeing another trans person until I was 25 years old, and feeling like I was the only person in the world who felt like me.” “I consider like a holiday for cis people to recognize the beautiful greatness of trans people, non-binary people, gender non-conforming people.” “To me, visibility is about getting those who are not in the community to recognize our existence,” Jam explained to In The Know. By speaking out on visible and open forums, they are inviting others to also live their most authentic lives. Graf, Jam and Bailar all exemplify, in their own way, what it means to show up unapologetically every day. The conversation, hosted by MAKERS producer Kelly Matousek, will include three members of the trans community profiled by In The Know throughout the month of March: Jake Graf, Mila Jam and Schuyler Bailar. In honor of the occasion, In The Know has teamed up with its parent company Verizon Media and The Phluid Project, a New York City-based gender-free brand, to hold a “Trans Visibility Matters” roundtable discussion. March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of the struggles they face worldwide. In The Know is celebrating trans stories during the month of March in a series called “Trans Visibility Matters,” in collaboration with the Phluid Project. March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to recognizing transgender and non-binary people around the world and acknowledging the work that still needs to be done to achieve justice for transgender people.
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