March in Retrospect: Trans Day of Visibility & Community
I turned 36 on March 29th, 2024. I had the great fortune of spending my entire weekend with the Queer community in several ways. First, as a former Miss Gay NC USofA at the 2024 Miss Gay NC USofA pageant in Hickory, North Carolina. I reconnected with old friends, made up with some, made new ones, and celebrated the art of Drag. It was an incredible, fulfilling experience that I will not soon forget. Being with my people is something that is so special for me and, as I get older, something I realize I need.
I also had the honor of spending most of Sunday at our International Transgender Day of Visibility Trans Expo, a small but mighty event we held to celebrate, support, and empower our local Trans community. While it’s difficult to choose a moment that defined my weekend, it was a beautiful and humbling experience. In January, we began planning this event; in February we realized we’d scheduled it for Easter Sunday and became nervous we wouldn’t have a good turnout. We persisted, however, and chose to move forward with it - we couldn’t have made a better decision. Seeing our community engage with one another in a way that builds us up was overwhelmingly beautiful. The turnout far exceeded our expectations and our vendors reported have incredible opportunities for networking and community building.
All of the events of the weekend had a common denominator - community. The Queer community is so rich with joy, creativity, kindness, boldness, and humanity. I often become exhausted by the narrative many people and/or organizations (including Queer people and Queer organizations) construct about Queer people as oppressed. While we all know the statistics about Queer people (which is the reason why organizations such as ours exist), but our community is much more than simply oppressed. As I looked around the spaces I spent time in this weekend I saw every bit of the joy, creativity, kindness, boldness, and humanity that our people possess. I saw people celebrating one another, lifting one another up, making incredible contributions to our culture through their artistic endeavors and authenticity, and simply being.
This is the version of our community I believe to be our superpower. Our resilience, bravery, and talents come by virtue of our existence and supporting one another on this collective journey towards equality. We are not defined by our oppression - our state of oppression, and the progress we make every day, is defined by us. There are people who believe our community is centered on, and sustained by, activism and advocacy, but I believe our community is defined by the beauty of our everyday lives and the contributions we make to every field and profession in the world. I am honored to be a part of the legacy of Queer culture along with every member of this community. Together, we are building a beautiful history for the generations of Queer people coming after us.
Sean D. Roach
Founder & Board Chair, inQlusion inc.
