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A Sacred Text for Trans Visibility
Written for the National Trans Visibility March Empowerment Service
By Rev. Derek A. Terry, Acting Executive Director of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ

In the beginning, there was breath—holy and expansive—carried in every body, every voice, every form. And God said: You are enough. You are whole. You are mine.

To be visible is not a concession. It is a calling.
To be trans is not a burden. It is a blessing.
To live boldly in your truth is a sacred act of resistance, a mirror of the Divine who transcends all binaries and boundaries.

We gather today as people of faith, allies, and beloveds, to say:
Trans people are not an afterthought. You are not a side note in the story of liberation.
You are the movement. You are the miracle.

Your bodies are not up for debate. Your identities are not problems to be solved.
Your leadership is not optional—it is essential.

And in a world that legislates hate and erases truth,
we speak back with love, with fire, and with faith:
We see you.
We need you.
We honor you.
We follow you.

For the Spirit is moving through your courage.
Justice is marching in your name.
And the church, if it is to be the church at all, must stand with you—visible, loud, and unafraid.

Amen. Ashe. And so it is.