“Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate the transgender community!⁠

To our transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming staff, we appreciate all your work and contributions to Audubon and the world around us. We stand with transgender staff, volunteers, members, birders, and the larger trans community on this day and every day.”

We encourage our Audubon Vermont community to join us in supporting our colleagues across the country who are fighting to stop laws that explicitly discriminate against transgender people. We are proud to live in a state that has passed important laws and enacted rules to safeguard trans and gender non-binary people - such as requiring single user public bathrooms to be marked gender neutral, creating a third gender option on driver’s licenses, and making it easier for trans and nonbinary youth to get gender-affirming care. We celebrate that Vermont also recently elected its first openly transgender legislator, Taylor Small. Today is a day to celebrate these important milestones, while committing to taking action. 

At this moment, on Transgender Day of Visibility, there are at least 80 bills in 28 states targeting transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people. These bills target our colleagues, limiting the areas where they can safely live and work, the opportunities and medical care their children can access, and the choices they and their families have to exist fully and authentically. These bills target Audubon: If our community members cannot safely bring their full selves to work, to events, or to community science, our success as an organization suffers. 

Please join us in taking action for your community members today. 

If you’re lucky enough to live in a state with protections for our trans community members, your actions still matter. Consider reaching out to friends and family who live in a state with pending anti-trans legislation and forward this guide to them. 

Find your state and then look at the pending anti-trans legislation, if any. Take note of the bill number/s. Then find your state rep and senator and call their offices to ask them to oppose the bill/s: 

“I am a constituent of [Rep or Sen XYZ] and I’m calling to let him know that I oppose bill/s [bill number/s]. I’m proud to stand with transgender Americans and their families, and I won’t vote for any politician who doesn’t recognize trans people’s rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

To those who do not identify as transgender or non-binary, I encourage you to read these resources: 

Mythbuster: Debunking Anti-Transgender Messages
Be an Ally - Support Trans Equality - HRC
GLAAD Media Reference Guide - Transgender

Thank you for joining us in taking action. 

David Mears - Executive Director (he/him/his)
Gwendolyn Causer - Environmental Educator and Senior Communications Coordinator (she/her/hers)