Thread by @Openly

Today is #TransDayOfVisibility

From Taiwan 🇹🇼 to Brazil 🇧🇷, these are some of the trans politicians working to make the 🌍 a better place for everyone, while creating visibility in places never seen before

Thread 👇 #TDOV

Tamara Adrián (b.1954)

In 2016, the lawyer was the first trans person to be elected to office in Venezuela 🇻🇪, and only the second in the Western hemisphere to be a member of a national legislature

Prior to her election, Adrián was already a prominent LGBT+ activist 🏳️‍🌈

#TDOV

Anna Grodzka (b.1954)

As the first openly trans MP in Poland 🇵🇱, Grodzka was elected to the Sejm in 2011 for the liberal Palikot's Movement party

Grodzka is also a founder of NGO Trans-Fuzja, a foundation promoting trans rights in Poland ⚧️

#TDOV

Rachel Levine (b.1957)

The first trans person appointed to a top U.S. government position, @SecretaryLevine serves as assistant health secretary in Biden's administration 🇺🇸

Levine previously led the U.S. state of Pennsylvania’s response to COVID-19 🏥

#TDOV

Georgina Beyer (b.1957)

Former drag queen and TV-actor, New Zealand-born Beyer became the world's first openly trans mayor in 1995 and was elected the world’s first trans MP in 2000 🗳️

The Māori politician was recognised in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours 👑

#TDOV

Petra De Sutter (b.1963)

Last year, the politician and academic was appointed deputy PM in Belgium – the first openly trans minister in Europe 🇪🇺

She has vowed to reform Belgium’s gender recognition law to address the legal situation for the country’s non-binary people

#TDOV

Audrey Tang (b.1981)

At 35, the youngest person ever to hold a ministerial post in Taiwan, Tang became Digital Minister in 2016 💻

Tang has pitched for transparency in government, and pledged to give preferential access to government contracts to social enterprises

#TDOV

Erica Malunguinho (b.1981)

She made history in 2018 as the first trans woman elected to state Congress in Brazil 🇧🇷 – a country where LGBT+ people face increasing threats

She is also the founder of Aparelha Luzia, a cultural space for Black empowerment in São Paulo ✊🏿

#TDOV

Sarah McBride (b.1990)

The highest-ranking trans official in the U.S. when elected, McBride became the first trans woman in a state Senate 🇺🇸

"The importance of being a first is to make sure that you're not the last and that others can stand on your shoulders”

#TDOV

Tomoya Hosoda (b.1991)

Japan's first trans man elected to public office, Hosoda became a councillor in Iruma, just outside Tokyo, in 2017 🇯🇵

“Until recently, people have acted as if sexual minorities do not exist," he said, promising to protect trans kids while in office

#TDOV

Tell us below about other trans lawmakers seeking to make the 🌍 a better place 👇

#TDOV