By: Emma Vosicky (she/hers) - Executive Director, GenderNexus
I spent most of my life wanting to be invisible, afraid to say who I am, afraid of the consequences of being me. At IU’s recent LGBTQ+ Health Conference I heard the inimitable Kate Bornstein say that for the first twenty or so years of her life, she had created herself, in her mind, as a gender girl. When she said that, and I thought, “Yeah…I know that…just for a lot longer than the first twenty or so years….”
Living fully has brought me to a place I would have never expected – I have the opportunity (personally, I consider it the honor) to lead GenderNexus, a remarkable agency whose purpose is to reduce barriers for trans and non-binary folks in Indiana. At GenderNexus we provide trans and non-binary people with access to affirming services, support, resources, and community so they can live true to who they are (and, maybe, just maybe, live that truth from the joy of first awareness rather than waiting for misery to serve as the catalyst).
Unfortunately, it took my impending mortality to provide the necessary focus to choose to embrace my whole self. While there was nothing pleasant about pondering the inevitability of an endpoint, it sure did sharpen my mind, compel me to be more present, and snap me to the realization that I wanted the rest of my life to feel like something other than miserable.
And, so, over the course of time, I shifted (one might say “transitioned”) my life’s trajectory from miserable to visible – first, visible to me, then visible to others. I finally said, out loud, that I was transgender, and then I lived that truth more and more fully. Despite multiple losses, the decision to reject misery is something I would willingly repeat over & over again. There are few joys greater than being true to yourself.
"It is the day on which the trans and non-binary community, of which I am a proud part, can celebrate and give witness to the unavoidable reality that we are a beautiful, essential, vibrant, and glorious fiber within the tapestry of human existence.
Although it is on March 31st, the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is my 4th of July. It is the day on which the trans and non-binary community, of which I am a proud part, can celebrate and give witness to the unavoidable reality that we are a beautiful, essential, vibrant, and glorious fiber within the tapestry of human existence. Without us, the weave of the universe is incomplete and duller. The richness of who we are will be on full display this March 31st as Indy Pride celebrates TDOV with an evening of performances by some of the many gifted members of our community – a dynamic display of our vibrance.
So, on this last day of March, be visible (even if, for now, it is only to you) and honor the gift you are to the rest of the world.
