On Friday, Kent State's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Center will celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility with an event from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the center, located in Room 024 of the Kent Student Center. The event speaker will be Jacob Nash, founder of Margie's Hope, an organization dedicated to providing resources and services to enrich the lives of transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive people in Northeast Ohio.
March 31 is the official date of the International Transgender Day of Visibilty, but as it occurs during Kent State's Spring Break (March 27-April 2), the LGBTQ+ Center wanted to schedule their celebration ahead of it.
Ken Ditlevson, director of Kent State's LGBTQ+ Center, stressed the vital importance of remembering the contributions of transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination they face worldwide. "Transgender Day of Visibility is an important annual program through the LGBTQ+ Center that highlights accomplishments from trans and nonbinary people, who have historically been erased from our history," he said. "It also counter-balances the 'Trans Day of Remembrance,’ which mourns the tragedy of the many transgender people who are murdered each year. Transgender people should be known for their positive impact on society and not only mentioned upon their death."
Kent State's LGBTQ+ Center offers support and resources for all members of the LGBTQ+ community, including an online transgender resource guide.
The Rock on Kent State's Front Campus, decorated for Transgender Day of Visibility 2022.