Dear Colleagues,
The National Day of Trans Visibility is coming up on March 31st (Sunday). One thing that we appreciate about the days, months, or weeks that are set aside to honor histories and identities is that these periods can support us to reflect on what we have accomplished over the past year and what we might do to move closer to our values in the coming year.
I am proud of the work of our CES staff here and across the Commonwealth, who continue to work tirelessly on the journey to truly seeing and actively supporting the identities of all of their students, and helping others to do the same.
There will always be more that we can do to create spaces that support, protect, and cherish the lives of trans and nonbinary students and colleagues; places where safety always accompanies visibility. We hope to create places where people can rely on their correct pronouns being used and where systems are set up to support the safety and care of students and staff by making it easy to use their chosen names.
This resource by Chase Strangio, shared by our SJE Platform and Joy and Justice team members felt particularly timely and helpful:
Trans Visibility is Nice. Safety is Even Better. Feb 15, 2024, NYT
I thank you all for your own work to move forward so that both students and your colleagues can feel supported, welcome, and part of a community that cares for them.
Todd