While much work is left to do, we've happily seen unprecedented growth for mainstream transgender visibility in the past several years. Now, it's time to once again honor those who are doing fighting to make this visibility possible.
The Trans 100 is an annual event that celebrates the excellence of 100 people working to advance transgender political and social rights. While so much of the typical media focus tends to be on negative stories surrounding transgender identity, The Trans 100 is an attempt to shift the coverage of transgender issues to what's working.
"It has been an amazing year for us at The Trans 100. Every year, the nomination list gets longer and the selection process harder," Crispin Torres, co-director of The Trans 100, said in a statement sent to The Huffington Post. "We are seeing the original vision of the trans 100 come to life: That if trans folks begin seeing more folks like themselves out in the world, not just surviving, but thriving, we can flip the script from trans survival to trans empowerment."
A press release for The 2015 Trans 100 notes:
The Trans 100 is not an award ceremony. It is not a list of the “Best” or the “Most Important” trans people. It is not a popularity contest and there are many individuals absent from the list who are doing excellent work. More are no longer with us.
To quote The Trans 100 Co-Founder Jen Richards, The Trans 100 “is an intentionally curated list of out trans people who are working on trans issues in the United States and having a positive impact.”
The Trans 100 2015 event, which took place in Chicago on Sunday night, was hosted by performance artist and educator Precious Davis and educator and activist Myles Brady. It included keynote speeches given by "The Matrix" and "Cloud Atlas" co-director Lana Wachowski and media advocate and strategist Tiq Milan, and featured performances by musician and Against Me! lead singer Laura Jane Grace and hip-hop rapper Rocco Katastrophe.
Head here for more info about the 3rd annual Trans 100 and here to download the full list of honorees.