British transgender model photographed by Bex Day for Adobe Stock to raise awareness of Trans Day of Visibility and Adobe’s commitment to increasing diversity in stock (Picture: Adobe Stock)

March 31 is a day I wish weren’t necessary.

It’s International Transgender Day of Visibility, when trans people all over the world wave hello and make the outrageous claim that trans people are people.

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The way some people go on you’d think we had three heads, lived under bridges and ate human flesh.

And sadly some of those people try to stir up hatred and restrict trans people’s basic human rights.


All too often, trans people are invisible. You read about us, but you don’t hear from us.

You’ll hear from people who have a problem with us, but you won’t hear about the brutal murder of a young trans woman, the terrifyingly high rate of attempted suicides among trans kids or the bullying and discrimination trans people face.



Not only that: while some papers are rightly celebrating the defeat of infamous anti-gay law Section 28 (Section 2A in Scotland), others are dehumanising trans kids and women using the very same tactics gay and lesbian people fought so hard against.

Visibility is the way we change that.

Visibility is powerful magic. It defeats bigotry, because it’s really hard to be prejudiced against people when you know they’re just like you.

Hate grows in ignorance and in darkness. Visibility lets the light in.

And visibility helps make others stronger.

Another photograph from the collection (Picture: Adobe Stock)

When I grew up, I didn’t know there were ordinary people like me so I didn’t realise that I was ordinary too.

The gay, bi and lesbian kids of 30 years ago will know how that felt.

Visibility is powerful, and that’s why trans people and allies get so much sh*t online and in print.

It worries the bigots because it makes their mission impossible.

Every time Paris Lees goes on Question Time, a cute trans couple gets married or someone you know and like comes out as trans, a bigot bursts into flames and the needle of progress inches forward.

So it’s good to see image giants Adobe getting on board.

To mark International Transgender Day of Visibility, Adobe Stock has partnered with photographer Bex Day to create The Fluid Self, a collection focusing on ten trans people of different ages and backgrounds photographed against backdrops in London and Berlin.

It’s partly to promote the Adobe Stock service, of course: they’re offering more inclusive options to the newspapers and websites that buy stock photos.

And hurrah for that, because seeing the Pride flag on a blurry background got old a long time ago.

But it’s also a worthwhile project in its own right.

I think the photos are fascinating. Good portraits always are.

There’s strength and vulnerability here, pride and mischief. Some of the people have walked a long road; others are just beginning their journeys.

I’d love to know what Stephanie is thinking, whether Alyha is as fierce as they look, whether the scrunchie on Amanda’s wrist represents anything.

And I love the fact Bex Day shoots old-school, on film.



Stock photography is often very brightly lit and heavily processed. These images aren’t; they’re defiantly analogue in a digital world.

I like that. It’s fitting, I think.

These are images of people who’ve gone against the grain, people who haven’t taken the easy option. This is what trans looks like.

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