Wave Staff Report
WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city and its Transgender Advisory Board will recognize the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility with a week-long celebration beginning March 31.
This year, the city is offering a week-long celebration March 31 to April 7 to offer increased visibility to the transgender community at a time when transgender rights continue to be under attack throughout the country.
During that week, the city will fly the Transgender flag over City Hall and along the medians of Santa Monica Boulevard, and will light both City Hall and the lanterns over Santa Monica Boulevard on the city’s west side in blue, pink and white, which are the colors of the transgender flag.
The city’s Arts Division also will be supporting several arts projects featuring transgender artists.
The WallSpace Gallery, 7701 Santa Monica Blvd., will hold a Transgender Day of Visibility celebration March 31 from 7 to 10 p.m. featuring the “As We Are, Pillars of Society” art exhibit, which brings together community artists and allies to artistically depict trans visibility through creative direction, photography, mixed media and fashion.
The programming continues through April 15 at WallSpace, Art Angels Gallery, 9020 Beverly Blvd.; and bG Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica.
At 6 p.m. April 6, as part of the city’s WeHo Reads series, there will be a poetry reading featuring four trans poets and dialogue about the future and the intersections of science fiction and poetry, activism and language.
The event will be curated and hosted by West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace. Participants will include Ryka Aoki, an L.A.-based poet and author of the new sci-fi novel “Light from Uncommon Stars,” and Harry Josephine Giles, Scottish poet and author of “Deep Wheel Orcadia.”
The event will take place online and is free to attend at www.youtube.com/wehoarts.
The city also recognizes Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance each November.
As part of its support of the transgender community, the city has a Transgender Resource Guide available on the city’s website, which provides information about a variety of resources including legal, health and social services available in the Greater Los Angeles area to enhance and improve the well-being of transgender people. There is also specific information for transgender service members and veterans with legal questions.
For more information, contact Moya Márquez, community programs coordinator, at (323) 848-6574.
