fbpx Transgender Awareness Week 2022 | Harvard Kennedy School

Every year between November 13 through November 19, people across the United States take part in Transgender Awareness Week. It is a time to help raise the visibility of transgender people, uplift the community, and bring awareness to the variety of issues transgender people face. The week ends with the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual observance that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. 

WAPPP honors the memory of those in our community, including Rodrigo Ventocilla MPA/ID 2023, and beyond whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. We invite you to join us in commemorating Transgender Awareness Week and explore a few resources below that raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face. 

Headshot of Rodrigo Ventocilla
Remembering Rodrigo Ventocilla MPA/ID 2023

Rodrigo came to Harvard with a resolve to create positive change within his communities. Rodrigo was a trans rights activist in Peru, where he also worked for the country's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy and Finance. With support from the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School in the summer of 2022, he concluded a Cultural Bridge summer internship in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was helping to implement a strategy for gender equity and social inclusion as part of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator program. Rodrigo is honored and remembered as a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and a reminder for all of us to stand with the LGBTQ+ community as the global fight against anti-trans violence continues. We honor his legacy and commitment to a more just and equitable world for marginalized communities.

Reflections on Rodrigo's work from the Harambee program:

Organizationally, Rodrigo hosted a Masterclass on LGBTQI+ inclusion actions, educating Harambee on how to be better in engaging with queer staff, young people, and partners. We, as Harambee, are saddened to learn of Rodrigo's passing having just had him with us here in South Africa. We will remember him for his soft-spoken, gentle contributions and his diplomatic economist answer of "it depends."

Moving Past the Binary

How can the field of gender equity research move beyond the categorical binary measurements of gender to include and amplify the voices and lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary communities? This discussion explores how researchers, practitioners, and community organizers can work to include all marginalized genders in the fight toward gender equity. Panelists include V Varun Chaudhry, Dr. A.J. Lowik, Dr. Sabra L. Katz-Wise, Mia Miyagi, and moderator Dr. Sari M. van Anders.

 

Defending the Sex/Gender Binary

In the United Kingdom and Sweden, psychological factors including gender identification and need for closure are associated with binary gender/sex views, prejudice toward non-binary people, and opposition to gender-neutral pronouns.

Read the GAP study
 

What’s in a Pronoun

The inclusion of gender pronouns in organization materials can serve as an effective identity-safety cue to gender and sexual minorities.

Read the GAP study
 

Transgender and cisgender children's gender development

Researchers find that transgender children show a clear pattern of gender development associated with their current gender and not their sex assigned at birth.

Read the GAP study