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Dallas proclaims March 31 International Transgender Day of Visibility; advocates urge action against anti-trans bills
Summary
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua issued a City of Dallas proclamation recognizing International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, 2025. Community speakers warned of rising legislative threats and called for concrete protections, while city police liaisons promoted a 'Safe Place' program to aid victims of hate incidents.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua read a City of Dallas proclamation on March 31 declaring March 31, 2025, International Transgender Day of Visibility and urged residents to stand with the transgender community.
Bazaldua said the day was "a declaration that trans lives are valuable" and that "Dallas's support for trans lives will not waver," framing the proclamation as the city's public commitment to visibility and safety.
Speakers at the press event pushed for action beyond recognition. Mike Eale, introduced by city staff as a communications and engagement advocate, said visibility must translate into advocacy: "Visibility is more than being seen. It's about being counted," and urged allies to "stand with us so that those who seek to erase us may know that we will not be fear mongered into obscurity."
Tuan McGarry, a program manager and longtime community advocate, said Black trans men in particular have been overlooked and urged concrete changes to expand access to healthcare, housing and employment. "Visibility is only the first step," he said. "We need real change."
Leslie McMurray, Transgender Education and Advocacy Associate at the Resource Center, described long experience in public education and said she now feels less safe than before. "This year, the day feels a little less celebratory as I feel less safe now than I ever have," McMurray said, recounting harassment witnessed at the Texas Capitol and citing legislative threats. During her remarks she said there are "around 200 anti-LGBTQ bills filed in the Texas legislature and some 500 nationwide," a statistic she presented to illustrate the scale of legislative activity affecting transgender people.
The proclamation text read at the event also named Rachel Crandall as the founder of Transgender Day of Visibility (founded in 2009) and cited population estimates read aloud during the ceremony.
The event closed with Bazaldua thanking attendees and community partners and reiterating the city's position of support for transgender residents.
