The South Orange Village Council on Monday proclaimed March 31, 2026 as Transgender Day of Visibility, saying they want “every transgender and non-binary resident, especially young people, to know that you matter, you are valued, you are loved, and you belong here.”
The proclamation, read by South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, also affirmed “that dignity, safety and equality are fundamental values of our community and that our diversity makes us stronger.”
In issuing the proclamation, the Council encouraged “all residents to celebrate the lives and contributions of transgender and non-binary people, stand against discrimination and misinformation, and work together to ensure that every member of our community can live openly, safely and with dignity.”
The full proclamation reads as follows:
Transgender Day of Visibility – MARCH 31, 2026
WHEREAS, as author and advocate Janet Mock reminds us, “The most revolutionary thing a trans person can do is be visible”;
and WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Visibility, first recognized in 2009, celebrates the lives, contributions, and resilience of transgender and non-binary people while raising awareness of the challenges many continue to face;
and WHEREAS, we lift up trailblazers such as Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the United States Senate and former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, whose leadership advanced public health and representation in government; CeCe McDonald, whose advocacy has brought national attention to transgender justice and the dignity and safety of transgender people within the criminal legal system; and New Jersey’s own Barb Siperstein, whose tireless work helped shape early LGBTQ+ civil rights protections in our state and whose legacy lives on through the law that bears her name;
and WHEREAS, we honor the courage of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, whose activism during the Stonewall uprising helped ignite the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and continues to inspire generations working toward equality and dignity;
and WHEREAS, in 2026, hundreds of legislative proposals across the country seek to restrict access to gender affirming healthcare, limit the rights of transgender students in schools, restrict access to public facilities, and prevent individuals from updating identity documents, actions that increase the risk of harassment, discrimination, and violence;
and WHEREAS, transgender people, particularly Black and Brown transgender women, experience disproportionate rates of poverty, unemployment, housing instability, and barriers to healthcare, while rising misinformation and online harassment fuel harmful narratives that undermine the dignity, safety, and humanity of transgender people;
and WHEREAS, the Village of South Orange affirms that dignity, safety, and equality are fundamental values of our community and that our diversity makes us stronger;
and WHEREAS, we want every transgender and non-binary resident, especially young people, to know that you matter, you are valued, you are loved, and you belong here.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that I, SHEENA C. COLLUM, Mayor of South Orange Village, County of Essex, State of New Jersey, on behalf of the residents of South Orange Village, the Village Council, and myself, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2026 as Transgender Day of Visibility in South Orange and encourage all residents to celebrate the lives and contributions of transgender and non-binary people, stand against discrimination and misinformation, and work together to ensure that every member of our community can live openly, safely, and with dignity.
Dated this 23rd day of March, 2026
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HONORABLE SHEENA C. COLLUM
Mayor of South Orange Village
