_{Photo Credit: transgenderhistory.com}

San Francisco, California is set to recognize each August as “Transgender History Month,” following a vote held by state lawmakers on August 6th CBC7 reports. This is the first US state to honor trans history with such a declaration. 

The bill reads, “Despite the national recognition of LGBTQ+ history month, there is no proper representation and emphasis on the imperative leadership of transgender individuals in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights throughout history, and the transgender community substantially trails behind the level of inclusion and acceptance afforded to the broader LGBT community.”

The month will officially begin in August 2024, according to the bill. 

According to CBC7, California has served as a home for transgender individuals since 1775. The bill cites evidence from a historical journal of a soldier who observed Native American people “dressing and acting like women.” The sponsors of the bill believe that because of this, this is the ideal state to declare such a month. 

The bill reads, “California has long been the epicenter of the trans liberation movement, possessing suitable historical qualities sufficient for the recognition of Transgender History Month as an opportunity to provide education, insight, and awareness of the monumental contributions to Golden State history by transgender Californians.” 

The author of the bill, Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, said in a press conference last Wednesday, “I believe that as Californians our strongest defense against the anti-trans agenda is just to tell the truth. Let’s tell the truth about transgender people’s lives, and let’s lift up the history of the transgender Californians who left their mark on our great state.”