As an infant, Moshe was bundled up and sent down the Nile in a tiny raft. Yocheved gave him up, still in vital danger, but spared from certain death at home as a Hebrew boy. When he was found by Pharoah’s daughter, she recognized that he was a Hebrew baby – based on his circumcision, according to Midrash. But when she took him in, and gave him an Egyptian name, his safety seemed assured. His Jewish identity was erased, made invisible, in an attempt to give him safety. It worked – for a while.
This Trans Day of Visibility, in a country overflowing with anti-trans legislation and rhetoric, I feel that I’m visible enough already. For many trans people, especially those already at greater risk of violence, being seen and recognized as transgender actually puts us in more danger. Many trans people are already hypervisible, beyond their control. Many more choose invisibility if they can in order to live safer and less complicated lives. Visibility is only beneficial when we have safety and the choice to be visible. This year, what we really need is freedom, protection, and autonomy. Without these elements, visibility puts a target on our backs. Visibility can be a source of empowerment and affirmation – but only when it is accompanied by safety, support, and choice.
Moshe found safety growing up in the palace through invisibility. By passing as an Egyptian, living a life undercover, he was able to live a life of privilege. Growing up as an Egyptian prince, his life was easier, more comfortable, safe. But his status was conditioned on his remaining invisible.
Everything changed when he witnessed an Egyptian man beating an enslaved Hebrew man, one of his own people. When he thought no one could see, he stood up for the victim and killed the aggressor. But once he found out that word had gotten out, that he was at risk of being exposed, he was forced to flee in fear of his life. Siding with his own people had put him at risk of being outed. His status could no longer protect him from Pharoah.
In the desert, Moshe found freedom and the ability to reveal his true self. He admitted that he has been living as a stranger in a foreign land. But his journey truly began when God called upon Moshe from the burning bush to become the savior of the Hebrew people. This was his moment to change how he moved through the world. He would become extremely visible in service of a greater purpose. And the conditional protection he once had from the Egyptians would be traded for divine protection, all in service of gaining freedom for not just himself but his entire community. It was not an easy decision, but he accepted the call. His choice to be visible, to exercise his agency for the benefit of his entire community, was crucial to advancing our liberation from Egypt.
When a trans person hides, it is understandable. It is rational. The choice to be visible is not an easy one, and it comes with its own risks and costs. But that hiding is hopefully temporary. When we allow ourselves to be visible as trans people, because our community supports us, we can all move closer to collective freedom. This Pesach, I hope we can all work towards the systemic changes needed to secure the safety, freedom, and autonomy that makes it not just possible, but empowering, to be truly seen.
Jamie