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TDOV is a day of empowerment, celebrating the lives and achievements of our transgender and gender-expansive community. Our Singapore society is enriched by the remarkable contributions of trans, intersex and gender-diverse (TIN) individuals in all walks of our society – in civil service, finance, law, business, transportation, engineering, healthcare, with individuals increasingly visible in technology, lifestyle services, media and the arts. Many of these individuals have navigated personal challenges spanning years of their lives, including self-confidence issues and medical transitions, which underscore their resilience and dedication.

The concept of being “out” varies greatly; it can mean being open about one’s identity to a few friends or an entire company. Despite knowing individuals from various sectors, less than thirty would be comfortable with being named publicly, reflecting the broader societal challenges faced by an estimated 180,000 TIN persons in Singapore. The decision to be openly oneself is fraught with challenges, given the heavy stereotypes and fetishization associated with these identities. However, visibility is crucial, as it provides our youth and their parents with positive examples to inspire hope for their futures.

The discrimination experienced by the TIN community is starkly real. I attended President Tharman’s town hall for civic societies during his election campaign, where there was a mobile platform for everyone to key in their questions. Anonymous questions about the TIN community were met with hostile responses, with comments such as “stop spreading trans disease.” Such incidents reveal the profound work needed to educate and shift societal attitudes, even among Singapore’s civic and grassroots leaders.

Challenges extend into the workplace, where TIN individuals often face hurdles. One trans woman in a customer-facing role came out to her management about her trans identity, requesting to shift to roles associated with female staff since she has undergone medical transition. She has long hair. Previously her long hair was not questioned. After her disclosure she was asked to cut her hair and requested to undertake expensive surgeries that she does not feel she needs before she is allowed to present herself as female. This is emblematic of broader issues where organisations prioritise avoiding complaints over being empathetic of transgender minorities, where one has to accept the inconveniences of doing the right thing while keeping the peace.

TransgenderSG recently partnered with Indigo & Co, a charity with Christian links, for an event. We held a small listening circle for religious believers from the TIN community and those from traditional religious institutions. The objective was for believers to find common ground and to raise awareness of the impact of actions and words on their sense of belonging. A relative of a transgender believer empathetically shared how much she hated it when religious leaders called LGBTQ+ derogatory names. In that beautiful but difficult session where new bridges were formed, we reflected on how parents of TIN kids often feel guilt. It is an issue when parents, whether religious or non-religious, feel that they have failed as parents when their child comes out to them as LGB or T, because this suggests being LGBT+ equates to being defective or inferior.

The responsibility of mass media in shaping perceptions is paramount. In December 2023, Shin Min, Lianhe Zaobao and 8World used offensive terms in describing a police raid involving transgender sex workers.This is unacceptable for two reasons: 1) it used the marginalisation that TIN identities face to sell news, and 2) the reporting of the coverage further perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Responsible reporting would highlight the systemic issues that led them to take up illegal sex work, which then enrolls the reader to address them. 

In line with the Forward Singapore promise of leaving no Singaporean behind, it is essential that our society becomes a safe environment for TIN individuals to be visible, so that all identities can bring the best of themselves into diverse settings. On this TDOV, take a minute to forward this article to someone who might not know a trans person. Or reach out to partner with a TIN organisation. Don’t let this remain a Transgender Day of (In)Visibility.

Footnotes: The image uses generative AI with the prompt “create a beautiful image in a style of advertising photography, that captures equitable female beauty, that is especially equitable for underrepresented identities” which highlights further inequalities in beauty perpetuated by AI.