This month I am participating in the fourth annual Trans Rights Readathon, held this year from March 17th to March 31st. The readathon leads up to and is designed to bring awareness of the Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st, a day in which we celebrate transgender and gender-nonconforming lives and recognize the discrimination they face.
This readathon is a decentralized fundraiser originally founded by Sim Kern in 2023. Since it is decentralized that means everyone is encouraged to participate in what ever way they can. If that means you can read one book or twenty books during this time, that’s great! If that means that you can personally donate $5 to a local organization or fundraise a couple hundred dollars for a national organization, that’s also great. If that means that you started a book by a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming author but didn’t finish it and still talked to others about it, that’s great too. The idea is to raise awareness, to talk about and acknowledge that transgender people exist, embrace and celebrate their art, and create community.
Every year the Trans Rights Readathon hosts a fundraiser for Point of Pride, an organization that provides financial-aid and support for transgender people in need of health and wellness care. This year the fundraiser will be in the form of an auction through 32Auction. You can check it out here: https://www.32auctions.com/transrightsreadathon . You do not have to participate in the auction to participate in the readathon and you can still make a donation to an organization or individual of your choice if you had already planned on doing so. Again, this readathon is flexible and you are free to participate in whatever way works best for you.
For social media posts, the Trans Rights Readathon website has many graphics available for you to use to help spread the word. They also have new official accounts this year: @transrightsreadathon on Instagram and Tiktok, @trreadathon on X, and ask that you use #transrightsreadathon and #TRR26 when you post.
My goal is to read at least three books during the readathon this year. I am currently reading a physical copy of Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer (and loving it!!), have started the audiobook for Pageboy by Elliot Page, and plan to read Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. If I finish those and have more time before the end, I also have the graphic novel Rethinking Gender: An Illustrated Exploration by Louie Lauger. I plan to donate at least $30 to the Transgender Law Center with an additional $10 for every book I read over the initial three during the readathon.
The Transgender Law Center, according to their mission statement, “is the largest national, trans-led organization working to set all people free. We champion the right of all transgender and gender-nonconforming people to make their own choices and live freely, safely, and authentically.” They are an amazing organization helping so many through litigation, education, and intersectional programs. Please check them out if you haven’t heard of them before and consider donating to them if donating is something you are able to do. Their web address is: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Please also check out the Trans Rights Readathon website for more information on how to participate, book lists and recommendations, and more charity organizations to support. https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/#
I look forward to updating you all as the readathon continues and hearing what books you may have picked up. Until then, happy reading!
-Sam
Words with Sam 