Alexa features voice of transgender man for Trans Visibility Day
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Alexa users in the UK will be able to enable a new skill until 31 March which will allow them to hear the life story of a transgender man on their devices.
The campaign—which has been launched to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility on 31 March—encourages users to say: “Alexa, open the voice of trans.”
The Amazon device will then invite users to listen to the voice of a transgender man, with the user getting to decide which part of his life they hear about first.
The Alexa ‘Voice of Trans’ will delve into childhood bullying and transitioning
Alexa users will be able to hear about the man’s experiences of growing up transgender—how he hated wearing “girly” clothes—and how he was bullied at school. The transgender man will also talk about his suicide attempt.
Ultimately, the story will delve into how the transgender man transitioned, and how doing so improved his life.
In order to hear the story, Alexa users must first enable the Voice of Trans skill.
Most importantly, the trans man will then ask the listener to visit a Change.org petition which has been set up to help advance transgender rights on the UN’s human rights agenda.
“Violations of their rights range from bullying, to denial of healthcare, education, work and housing, to criminalisation, violence, torture, rape and murder.”
– Voice of Trans petition
The campaign—which has been branded #VoiceOfTrans—will encourage Alexa users to sign a new petition which implores all members of the United Nations to recognise and support transgender rights across the world.
The petition page notes that everybody deserves to be treated equally, but says that transgender people continue to face discrimination.
GRANT HINDSLEY/AFP/Getty
‘Human rights cross borders and carry responsibility’
“Violations of their rights range from bullying, to denial of healthcare, education, work and housing, to criminalisation, violence, torture, rape and murder.
“Human rights cross borders and carry responsibility. We call on ALL Member States of the United Nations to recognise and celebrate our diversity and embrace all gender identities and expressions, at home and abroad. And we call on you to support this cause and sign this petition.”
At the time of writing, the petition had been signed 47 times.
“By hearing stories, by having conversations and by signing the petition we can start to improve the daily lives of trans people worldwide.”
– Emma Cusdin, Global Butterflies
Emma Cusdin of Global Butterflies, an organisation that helps businesses become trans inclusive, praised the campaign.
“By hearing stories, by having conversations and by signing the petition we can start to improve the daily lives of trans people worldwide,” Cusdin said.
“We hope that people who interact with this campaign will understand that gender is not binary but a broad spectrum and that trans people use wonderful ways to describe their gender which should be celebrated.”
Last year, Stonewall teamed up with Amazon for Pride month to help educate allies about LGBT+ issues. Users could ask Alexa questions like “Am I gay?” and would be directed to visit Stonewall’s support and guidance resources.
