CMU to offer free headshots for Transgender Day of Visibility
A basket of LGBTQ+ Pride flags sits on display at the Black History Month LGBTQ+ Trailblazers event in the CSID, Bovee UC 108, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. Not only is the space used for the Multicultural Academic Student Services, but also the LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Program. (CM-Life | Soli Gordon)
The Office of LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Programs at Central Michigan University is hosting a free headshot event on March 31 in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity (CSID) and is open to all CMU students, faculty and staff, according to Bee Taylor, director of LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Programs.
TDOV, first celebrated in 2009, was founded by Michigan activist Rachel Crandall Crocker as a way to celebrate the transgender community and increase positive representation. Since then TDOV has grown to be an international event.
Taylor, who has attended and hosted TDOV events at previous institutions, said it is important to uplift trans voices and provide affirming spaces for students.
“Trans Day of Visibility encourages those of us with the privilege and honor to be out, to do so and carry the responsibility of uplifting the voices of those most marginalized,” Taylor said. “While Trans Day of Remembrance is an important and somber holiday, TDOV offers a more positive and hopeful perspective on the trans experience.”
Taylor said the inspiration for the headshot event came from a large poster they found when they started working at CMU last fall, featuring professional photos of queer and trans students against colorful backgrounds.
“I thought this was such a great way to show love and visibility to students, by offering them a space to have photos taken that truly show who they are,” Taylor said.
The headshot sessions will last about 15 minutes, allowing participants to discuss how they want their final photos to look and try different poses. While the CSID houses a variety of student resources, Taylor said this event will focus specifically on providing an affirming photography space.
Taylor also said that later that evening, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Office of LGBTQ+ Services and Gender Equity Programs, the Inclusive Education Alliance and faculty member Jack Day will host a program on LGBTQ+ inclusion and pronoun use in the classroom.
Registration for the headshots is free and available to all CMU community members, Taylor said.
