31 March – Brussels Central Station. On the occasion of the International Day of Transgender Visibility, Sing Out Brussels! sang “I am her” by the American trans artist Shea Diamond. This symbolic action was relayed by the artist herself! Elli, a member of the choir, looks back on this event.
I remember one night in the bar after a rehearsal, when the idea of singing “I am Her” in Central Station on 31 March, Trans Visibility Day, was brought up. I remember jumping for joy at the idea.
Well, we did it!
The preparation, by a small group of volunteers from the choir, is meticulous: a visit to the central station, partnership with Genres Pluriels, the Rainbow House and the COCOF, discussions with the SNCB in order to be able to occupy the premises and film, choice of the exact location, drafting of the script, recruitment of a video team and volunteers: everything is planned to ensure that the event goes well.
The day before, we rehearse the arrival in waves of choristers, the loop at the beginning, the change at the end with the slogan “Trans rights are human rights”. In spite of my enormous fatigue that day, I was happy to see my fists raised on the last “Trans rights are human rights”.
On the day of the event, we arrived at the Horta gallery, a few minutes before the performance. We found the Genres Pluriels volunteers, a few relatives who were waving trans flags or reacting to the event, and of course the whole choir. The choir members played the dress code game: the blue and pink of the trans flag. It’s a beautiful sight. While waiting for the final adjustments to be made so that they can start singing, the excitement is at its peak.
We sang “I am Her” twice, with determination. Chanting “Trans right are human rights”, fist raised, on a day of trans visibility, in front of the large audience at Central Station fills me with joy and pride.
Later that evening, as I was riding my bike home, someone called out to me saying “Excuse me sir”. The trans 2023 visibility day could not have ended better.
This event was organised in partnership with Genres Pluriels , with the support of Ville de Bruxelles (Equal Opportunities) and the RainbowHouse (through the Rainbow Visibilities project supported by Cocof). To learn more about Genres Pluriels’ priorities for trans* rights in Belgium, click here