The clouds cleared, and the sun shone through the clear dome of San Jose City Hall. The South Bay Trans Day of Visibility space was lovely; all the light coming from above and the beautifully hung portraits of trans people adding yet another dimension to the deep space of the rotunda. Flags were strung from the handrails above. It was lovely.

We had to stand by at the door to get a few presenters to stop workshops, as they were going so well! Supervisor Ellenberg wowed everyone, working the welcome table. Councilmember Davis share her dedication to trans issues, showed very well in her sponsorship of the event. The art gallery was wonderful to wander in the mezzanine, and then to look down from!

The show at Renegades in the evening was sexy good! We had live performances, punk and classic drag, and burlesque. Not to mention a silent auction – all proceeds will go to the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center (South Bay Trans Day of Visibility is a project of the Center).

Big thanks to the committee members for making this decade celebration the biggest South Bay TDOV event yet! And thanks to all the other helpers and participants – it’s a long roster and you all contributed energy and knowledge to bring this off. Thank you. This year took extra behind the scenes work, with City Hall. We all learned a lot. Thanks to those who acted as guides.

And thank you every one who came out, who watched silently, who took your first steps, and who shared your insights during workshops. You made this vibrant community and joyful space.

Regards-
Lance Moore

Yes yes yes! Saturday 3/30 and the 10th annual South Bay Trans Day of Visibility is almost upon us! The presenters are eager, the artists are creative, the energy is high! Doors open at 12:30pm at San Jose City Hall 200 E Santa Clara St, SJ). Check the schedule to plan your day!

It’s even going to be a pretty nice day. Which means plan on taking advantage of it and sitting out on the big rocks while some Pride-ful music plays when you want to chill. You’ll see our banner flying!

When you’re ready for the evening party, venture on down to Renegades Bar (501 W Taylor St, SJ) for the show and Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center fundraiser.

It’s ten years of celebrating diversity!

The South Bay Trans Day of Visibility has two American Sign Language interpreters standing by!

If you need ASL interpretation for a workshop, let someone know (we’ll be wearing tags), and we’ll happily get you set up. The Gather Together at 3pm will be signed for sure.

See you on Saturday!

Talk with providers at the 2019 South Bay Trans Day of Visibility. Here is an incomplete list of the organizations which will have resources for you at tables in the City Hall Rotunda.

• Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center
• Tri-City Trans Health
• Santa Clara Public Health
• Office of LGBTQ Affairs
• Silicon Valley Gender Health Center
• LGBTQ Wellness Program, FCS, A Division of Caminar for Mental Health
• Multifaith representatives
• Silicon Valley Pride (Hey Girl women’s group)
• Intersex & Genderqueer Recognition Project (IGRP)
• Valley Homeless Healthcare Program

Take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions and see who can help you and yours.

Here’s some really good news: parking validation will be available on Saturday! City Hall has arranged for a parking validation machine for us. Find it inside the Rotunda.

Wondering where to park? The lot directly under City Hall will be closed, but there are several nearby, as well as some street parking .

Here is a link to one search.

Have we got news for you!

• The schedule is up! Visit http://southbaytdov.org/schedule/ to take a gander at all of the workshops and start planning out your day. Expect to be distracted by art and great folks!
• This year’s we’re going to Gather Together!
  • At 3pm, we invite everyone to gather in the center of the Rotunda and hear a few words of welcome from speakers including Santa Clara Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and our awesome sponsor Councilmember Dev Davis.
  • Each resource table then gets 60 seconds to tell us why they’re with us and why we should go ’round and look!
  • Finally, songster Nick Lawrence will share a humorous tune or two.
  • This is a great chance to make a new (gender expansive) friend or two.

• The evening event has it’s own Facebook event now: https://www.facebook.com/events/609435012803140/ Mark yourself as going to get updates and to let your friends know about this sweet show!
• Transgender Flag Raising & County Commendation: In honor of the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the County of Santa Clara will ceremonial raise the transgender flag in the flag plaza at the County Government building at 10:30 am on March 26.
  • South Bay TDOV coordinator Lance Moore will say a few words.
  • Want to read about the very first time a trans flag was raised at a county building? Go here: County of Santa Clara Raises Transgender Pride Flag.

(Guest post by photographer Richard Mann)
Hello, members or visitors to the SJ TDoV event:

For the past couple of years, I have been embarking on a labor-of-love project of photographing portraits of transgender people on an old-school 4×5 large-format film camera. In 2017, 10 of my large prints were exhibited at the SJ Billy DeFrank Center on the outside wall as part of the TDoV event. This year we plan to display a similar setup.

I need your help: most importantly, I need people willing to spend 15 mins in front of the camera. The process takes a bit longer than just “point and shoot”, but the results are very satisfying. To protect your privacy, I will not use anyone’s real name unless they give me such permission. I understand that I am asking you to take certain risks by participating in the project (namely, visibility), but I hope that you will take this step.

You can view the project on my website http://richardmanphoto.com, and you can also see my work on Instagram or Facebook, under the name “richardmanphoto”.

Second, I am hoping to send prints out to different PRIDE festivals in the country to promote the project. So, if you have any contact info, from San Jose and/or San Francisco to PRIDE organizations in other places, please let me know.

Lastly, if you would like to contribute to my purchases of film and other costs associated with this project, you can always paypal money to (and you can email me at) richard@richardmanphoto.com, ANY amount is appreciated, even $1 helps.

Thank You.

Want to help put this fabulous event together and make it run smoothhly? Volunteer, We need you! See https://www.volunteersignup.org/P4XWY .