Transgender Day of Visibility is celebrated on March 31, a holiday meant to celebrate transgender people, their contributions to society and their experiences in the face of discrimination and prejudice. It is also the day Eli Williams, assistant director of the LGBTQ+ Center at Saint Mary’s College and visiting professor in the Women and Gender Studies department, hosted the center’s second SAGE Stories event.
Twenty-nine submissions were presented at the event, centered on three prompts: “What is your experience of being LGBTQ+ at Saint Mary’s College?”, “What about being LGBTQ+ brings you joy?” and “What does transgender visibility mean to you?”
Williams said in opening remarks the prompts were designed to center joy, particularly during “difficult times.”
“We intentionally created a prompt about joy this year,” Williams said. “In difficult times, noticing and sharing joy is all the more essential. We hope these stories show the resilience, diversity, sorrow and joy of LGBTQ+ people at Saint Mary’s College.”
The stories were presented anonymously and read aloud by volunteers to protect the privacy of the writers. Students and staff performed the submissions in creative ways, with some incorporating video elements and others featuring multiple readers. Williams said this format allowed for a wide range of voices and perspectives to be shared.
“It’s really powerful that we get to hear everyone’s voice uncensored in all its messy beauty,” Williams said. “When you hear them all together, we get a really comprehensive portrait of what it is like to be LGBTQ+.”
SAGE Stories is not a single-night event, but the result of months of preparation, including five writing workshops for students, faculty and staff. The workshops were designed for different groups, including students involved in the Center for Sexuality and Gender Equality, students who practice a faith tradition, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) students, faculty and staff.
Williams said these workshops are the most important part of the process because they provide an opportunity for participants to share their stories in a supportive environment.
“I think the format is a really essential part of the entire process,” Williams said. “In these small groups, people shared their experiences of being LGBTQ+ and were able to do so in an intimate, supportive setting with others who might share their experiences.”
Williams said a committee organized how the stories are presented, shaping the event more like a performance rather than a traditional reading. Volunteers serve as readers, performing the stories in place of the authors after a single rehearsal.
“We had a lively debate about the order of the stories and how we would integrate additional elements,” Williams said. “A lot of people thought we rehearsed for months, but we had one rehearsal where we gave each other feedback and worked through transitions. It was chaotic and beautiful.”
In her introduction, Williams emphasized these stories do not represent official positions of the College but instead provide a platform for individuals to share their experiences.
“We are not stating official positions of the College,” Williams said. “We’re simply saying this person spoke their truth, and it is our job as allies and community members to listen.”
SAGE Stories is one of many events hosted by the LGBTQ+ Center throughout the academic year. Williams said she hopes attendees will continue to engage with the center and its programming.
“SAGE Stories showed the diversity of our LGBTQ+ community on campus,” Williams said. “Every story was different. We see common themes, but we are a complex and beautiful community and our stories deserve to be heard and honored.”
