March 31 marks the International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination they face.

Globally, transgender people are battling to gain or maintain their rights, but locally, many Transgender Bermudians are fighting just to be acknowledged.

There are currently no statistics that acknowledge transgender people here in Bermuda; we do not have anything to gauge how many transgender Bermudians there are, what challenges they face on island, or how many choose to leave Bermuda for their own safety and wellbeing.

Without this information, advocating for more policies to help protect and uplift transgender Bermudians is largely a guessing game, extrapolating data from other countries and trying to make it fit our island. But as we know, one of the things that makes Bermuda special is its undeniable uniqueness. And our transgender brothers and sisters deserve to be recognised for theirs.

That is one of the reasons why OUTBermuda have partnered with Global Research to conduct Bermuda’s first National LGBTQ+ Survey. This anonymous survey will help us learn more from transgender Bermudians about how we can support them and work towards a Bermuda where they can feel seen, safe, and valued.

This survey is open to people aged 18 and over who are:

•LGBTQ+ people living in Bermuda

•LGBTQ+ Bermudians living overseas

•People who do not feel safe enough to be out

•People who may not use labels, but feel this survey is relevant to their experiences

You do not need to label yourself to take part. If this survey feels relevant to your life, it is for you.

Learn more about the survey at www.OUTBermuda.org/survey

During my time as the executive director of OUTBermuda, Bermuda’s only LGBTQ+ charity, I’ve had conversations with parents who are trying to find safe spaces for their trans children to make friends, adults looking for help navigating both physical and social transitions, and transgender Bermudians kicked out of their homes for trying to live authentically.

In OUTBermuda’s 2025 Policy Manifesto, we outlined crucial policy changes to help Transgender People in Bermuda. This International Transgender Day of Visibility, we encourage you to work towards being a better ally for our transgender siblings on island.

This can be as simple as:

Learning terminology: Take some time to review definitions like transgender, nonbinary, and cisgender.

Acknowledging pronouns: Every person uses pronouns — we need to work towards making it a normal practice to say your pronouns so more people feel comfortable sharing theirs.

Destigmatise gender-affirming care: Many people take part in gender affirming care — getting a wax, a hair transplant, a manicure — all these things are done by cis people as a form of gender affirming care. Acknowledging this and normalising all people (especially transgender people) seeking gender affirming care helps us all.

Gender neutral bathrooms: Check if there are any gender neutral bathrooms in the places you frequent. If you’re in a position to make changes at work, advocate for the bathrooms in your workplace to be gender neutral.

Advocate for better policies and protections: Question community leaders and politicians about their stances on transgender Bermudians. Stay informed and demand progress.

Today, on International Transgender Day of Visibility, we urge you to take the time to learn about how you can be a better ally for transgender Bermudians and help support OUTBermuda’s mission to create a Bermuda where all LGBTQ+ people feel they are seen, celebrated and thriving in Bermuda.

•Joshua Samuels is Executive Director of OUTBermuda, Bermuda’s only LGBTQ+ charity. OUTBermuda provides year-round support through education, advocacy and community building. To learn more or to support our work, visit outbermuda.org