Transgender Day of Visibility

Every year on March 31, people across the world take part in Transgender Day of Visibility to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the ongoing challenges this community faces.

Research illustrates gender bias and gender-based violence affect people of all genders, including transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive communities. Advancing this research is especially important given the recent increase in anti-transgender rhetoric and legislation, as discriminatory laws further exacerbate these inequities and threatens the rights and safety of the transgender community.

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 Day of Visibility and explore a few resources below that raise the visibility of transgender people and advance research and policymaking related to the trans community.

Why Do People Defend the Gender Binary?

In the Western world, gender has traditionally been viewed as binary and following directly from biological sex. This view is slowly changing among experts and the general public, a change that has been met with strong opposition. Dr. Thekla Morgenroth investigates why people show this opposition.

Watch the Recording

Advocating for Trans Athletes' Rights Under Title IX

Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning hosted the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic for an event discussing transgender inclusion in sports through regulatory advocacy and legal guidance, with clinical fellow Maya Satya Reddy and HLS professor Alexander Chen.

Watch the Recording

Non-Binary Gender Economics

A NBER working paper by WAPPP affiliate Katherine Coffman.

Read the paper

3 Things About Non-Binary Gender & Public Policy

A video from our '3-Minute Research Insights' series, with Vanderbilt professor Jessica Clarke.

Watch the video

Forum Debates Issues Facing the Transgender Community

An overview with key quotes from an event at the JFK Jr. Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Read the event recap

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.