International Transgender Day of Visibility is observed every year on March 31 to honor the lives and accomplishments of transgender, non-binary, and other gender-nonconforming people, of whom there are about 1.6 million in the U.S. It’s a day when members of the trans community from around the globe share their stories, celebrate their identity, and raise awareness about the issues they face and the work to be done. We are honoring trans people the whole month of March. 

Increased visibility can be fraught, though. 2021, the year this holiday was first federally recognized, was also the deadliest year on record for transphobic violence in the U.S. Nationally, trans people – and others who don’t neatly conform to gender norms – have become collateral damage in a painful “culture war” the trans community did not sign up to fight. Our city hasn’t gone unscathed, either: Boston Children’s Hospital received bomb threats from those who oppose its Gender Multispecialty Service program. 

Our booksellers curated the following collection to inspire curiosity, empathy, understanding, and freedom of expression in an era of hate speech and viral, malicious disinformation. We invite you to explore the books in this collection to learn more about the ongoing struggle for trans rights.