International Women’s Day, March 8th 2023
On March 8th of every year, we celebrate International Women’s Day! Falling within Women’s History Month, it’s a day dedicated to women’s achievements and tackling gender inequality. This includes celebrating trans women.
We live in a patriarchal society. This means that under a patriarchal system, men hold the power and women are subordinate to them. However, this definition does not take into account other power structures like white supremacy, the gender binary and cis-heteronormativity.
As a result, Black women, women of colour, trans women, queer women, and non-binary people are disregarded and face additional discrimination. This International Women’s Day, we need to make sure we stand up for ALL women. They all deserve to live in a world free of bigoted biases, stereotypes and systemic discrimination. There is no place for TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists), or white feminists. There is no freedom until we are all equal.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we would like to spotlight three trans women who we believe deserve more recognition. If you haven’t yet, please follow these incredible women on their social media platforms.
Dylan Mulvaney
American actress, trans activist and TikToker Dylan Mulvaney has been the topic of conversion within the media in the past months. She has been documenting her transition online. Unfortunately many transphobes targeted her and she became the victim of hate. Nonetheless, Dylan continues to talk about her trans identity through her ‘day X of being a girl’ TikToks, inspiring many young trans people along the way. Go support her on International Women’s Day.
Yasmin Finney
Actress Yasmin Finney was one of the main characters in Netflix’s Heartstopper. Fans praised this show for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ people. Finney announced that she will become Doctor Who’s first ever major trans character. It is about time this long-running British TV series includes more trans people in its main cast. She will play the role of Rose, the Doctor’s new companion.
I had the pleasure of meeting Finney at a theatre, and she was nothing but kind. She expressed her joy of watching a play for, by, and about queer and trans people. What an incredible woman to celebrate this International Women’s Day.
Alina Khan
Alina Khan is a Pakistani trans actress. She played trans performer Biba in the film Joyland. Sadly, the romance film has been banned in Pakistan. Khan was able to find joy in dance and performing as an art form. She is a fabulous actress as well as a trans activist, speaking up for what is right. If you would like to know more about Alina Khan’s upbringing and the struggles she faced as a trans person, listen to this podcast on the BBC.
Peppermint
Former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Peppermint is a formidable performer. Not only can she dance, act, and lip sync for her life, but she is also a trans activist. She co-created Black Queer Town Hall with drag race winner Bob the Drag Queen. Together they amplify Black queer and trans voices.
We have also seen a recent increase in trans performers in the casts of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Most recently, both the winners of season 14 and All Stars season 6 are out and proud trans women.
Celebrating all women on International Women’s Day
GenderGP takes an intersectional approach to International Women’s Day. We fight for all women’s rights. This includes the right to abortion, the right to gender-affirming healthcare, the right to equal pay, the right to decolonise school curriculums, as well as the right to same-sex marriage.