Roughly 7,000 trans folk and allies marched and raised funds for the trans community over the weekend as International Trans Day of Visibility rallies took place in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Taking a resilient stance against anti-trans voices and those who seek to take away the rights of our trans friends and family, individuals gathered together to listen to multiple powerful activists speak and march together as one.
Approximately 3,000 people showed up in Sydney, 3,000 in Melbourne and 1,000 in Brisbane. You bloody love to see it.
Victorian Pride Lobby put together the snap action rally in Melbourne, which moved from the State Library of Victoria on Swanston Street to the Victorian Parliament.
Thank you to the thousands of people who joined us in Melbourne/Naarm last night to reclaim the streets.
You helped make it clear that we will always drown out transphobia with love and support.
Trans rights are human rights. pic.twitter.com/OXB5w6cqSF
— Victorian Pride Lobby (@VicPrideLobby) March 31, 2023
Meanjin shows up for trans rights. 🏳️⚧️⚧️❤️🔥
Photo by @JadeWhitla of @CafeCodeBunny pic.twitter.com/6zx3urVVhT
— Amy Sargeant 🏳️⚧️ (@amy_sargeant_) April 1, 2023
It was a bittersweet moment for some attendees, as the Trans Day of Visibility protest took place in the same location where neo-Nazis and TERFs gathered to spew out their hatred.
Thankfully, the Melbourne protest went uninterrupted.
“I was so nervous before we came and worried about neo-Nazis turning up, [I’m] not going to lie,” protest attendee Lucky Frawley told The Age.
“But, with so many trans supporters turning up, I just felt really loved. I just felt like I was part of the community like more than ever before.”
The Dykes on Bikes are here at the Naarm TDoV rally to protect people and I’ve never felt safer—transphobes, Nazis and VicPol won’t pester us today! 🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/caLqjnh3qj
— Hiero Badge (@hierobadge) March 31, 2023
Two weeks ago, Posie Parker stood with a pathetically small gathering of terfs and actual Nazis on the steps of parliament in Melbourne, Australia.
These were the same steps today. #TransDayOfVisibility #TDOV2023 pic.twitter.com/gZkJxtjHTH— Tom Taylor (@TomTaylorMade) March 31, 2023
— Lachie Abbott (@lachieabbott) March 31, 2023
On the other hand, the Sydney protest was put together by the activist collective Pride in Protest.
“We hope [the rally] marks a watershed moment for a fighting trans rights movement under this new state government,” Pride in Protest told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
Blown away by today’s trans rights rally!
Huge turnout, fab union contingents & incredible speeches linking the bigoted minority to the transphobia of the system! 🏳️⚧️✊️
Thanks @prideinprotest @jennyleong @littlemissweiyi Norrie, Ethan, Rhonda @NTEUnion @UnitedWorkersOz @ASUnion pic.twitter.com/WAwbPXBp99— Sophie Fyfe (@sophfyfe) April 2, 2023
Attendees heard speeches from Indigenous activists, unionists and trans rights activists who all highlighted the need to come together and stand against “common oppressors”. This is the energy we love to see.
“What we really hope for is that people take to heart the messages about the importance of standing with unions, Indigenous people, sex workers, refugees and queer youth,” said Pride in Protest.
“If every worker who attended the rally went to their union and made sure the union stance on trans rights was rock solid, if every student made sure their university queer collective was a nurturing space for radical queer action, that would be an amazing outcome.
“We are hoping to move forward with pushing trans rights onto the agenda for union bargaining, and making sure that the politicians in power know that the queer community is active, mobilised and ready to challenge them if they think that they can ignore us or treat us as a political football.”
Hundreds at #TransDayOfVisibility action in Newtown, Gadigal (Sydney) stopping traffic.
Trans rights are human rights!@amnestyOz pic.twitter.com/FMxlH4Lmf7
— Veronica Koman 許愛茜 (@VeronicaKoman) April 2, 2023
Ultimately, it was a gorgeous turnout that proved trans people in this country are not alone. Even beyond the marches, some individuals such as writer and activist Deni Todorovič held fundraisers for trans health orgs, which meant those who could not attend could support the trans community in other ways.
There are so many voices who are willing to come together and scream for their lives to be respected in Australia, and it’s bloody beautiful to see.
“I witnessed the community coming together without fear, instead with passion and love,” non-binary model, writer and producer Sandy McIntyre told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“The number of smiling exchanges I had was heart-warming.”
“This time has been incredibly isolating,” McIntyre continued.
“You do your best to support yourself and those around you, but the exhaustion is real.
“So, for us to be together, marching in the rain was such a special moment.
“It was beautiful to look around and see everyone from kids, and allies to the LGBTQIA+ community yell ‘We’re here, we’re queer, we’re fabulous, don’t fuck with us’. My soul needed it.”
It’s things like this that make me adore the queer community. You really shouldn’t fuck with us.
Let’s just hope the transphobes keep their mouths closed forever.
