Photo Essay: Trans Day of Visibility Rally.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RODGER LIANG

WORDS BY CLAIRE MATTHEWS

CONTENT TRANSPHOBIA,WARNING: VIOLENCE.

To celebrate Trans Day of Visibility and make a stance against transphobic hate and violence, on the 2nd of April around 3,000 people rallied in Newtown square. The protest took place on unceded Gadigal Land and was organised by members of Pride in Protest.

There was a strong union presence, as well as contingents from the Dykes on Bikes and the UTS Women’s collective and Queer collective.

“Our agenda is one of equality. Our agenda is one of Pride. Our agenda is one of recognising the intersectional discrimination that our communities face… All of these are one struggle, one fight- and we are taking to the streets to say that this is what we demand!”

“To have true visibility, we need safety”

“I am not interested in being reasonable. I am interested in seeing full equality for all our communities… To the nazis, the fascists and the homophobes: I am saying to those people that we are done with being reasonable and we are taking to the streets and to parliament.”

“We know full well that the advancement of religious discrimination laws is actually an agenda to try and undermine the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.”

- Jenny Leong

“Sex work and sex workers need to be recognised on the Anti-Discrimination Act.”

- Wei Thai-Haynes (Sex worker and trans activist)

“If you do not support sex worker rights… you are not supporting the trans and queer community.”

- Wei Thai-Haynes