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Arlington clergy members joined demonstrators on the National Mall on March 31 for a Transgender Day of Visibility rally marked by calls for compassion and anger over federal policies affecting transgender people.
Attendees carried signs and hoisted children onto their shoulders, while afternoon rain prompted some in the crowd to open umbrellas. Clergy from Rock Spring UCC were among the Arlington participants showing their support.
Observed worldwide each March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility seeks to raise awareness of transgender people and the discrimination and poverty they disproportionately experience. Transgender advocate Rachel Crandall, then the head of Transgender Michigan, established the observance in 2010 to counter negative media coverage and a lack of public understanding.
During the Washington rally, speakers shared experiences involving themselves, friends and siblings. Many urged compassion while criticizing Trump administration policies that restrict care and impose other limits affecting transgender people and the broader LGBTQ community.
The Christopher Street Project sponsored the rally with several other local organizations.