Reporting from a war zone as a transgender journalist is something I don’t think about often while on the ground here in Ukraine. Today is different.
While being trans doesn’t define me, on the Transgender Day of Visibility I am compelled to embrace my place on the gender spectrum – not out of a sense of duty but because it is truly an honor to carry the identifier “transgender female.”
Related: Women make the best coffee. Here’s how they are transforming the industry
Visibility doesn’t just matter for trans and nonbinary people, it matters for every group that has been marginalized, for every person who has been unjustly attacked and maligned. And on this TDOV that would include the tens of millions of Ukrainians under attack from Russian lies and Russian armaments.
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Having been in Europe covering Ukraine’s response to the Russian invasion of its land for four weeks now, my travels have taken me across a nation in conflict. From refugees waiting to be processed into Poland, to soldiers preparing to kill the enemy, residents here have invited me to witness their efforts of living during a state of war.
The following photos offer a glimpse into those lives and society in the days and weeks after the fighting began.