Envisioning Transgender Equity: Amplifying Global South Narratives through Inclusive Archives and Education

In their 17 Sustainable Goals (SDGs) for 2030, the United Nations (n. d.) places the goal of “achieve[ing] Gender Equality and empower[ing] all women and girls” at the fifth spot as SDG 5. However, reports from 2016 reveal that the SDGs mainly focus on issues concerning heterosexual cisgender women and girls, with no reference to the LGBTQ community (United Nations, 2016). This oversight raises concerns about the inclusivity of SDG 3, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” (United Nations, n.d.), but its application to people with diverse gender identities remains unclear. This paper emphasizes the need to explore a broader range of perspectives beyond traditional feminist views, advocating for a more inclusive approach to marginalized sexualities and gender identities. It suggests that virtual trans archives provide valuable resources for exploring transfeminist narratives in multimedia, offering insights for gender and sexuality studies. To foster genuine inclusivity, educational curricula and pedagogical approaches must be revised to incorporate diverse gender identities and sexualities. Engaging with trans narratives from virtual archives within educational settings challenges dominant gender studies frameworks that often exclude nonbinary and transgender voices; further, it allows educators to encourage a more nuanced understanding of identity, representation, and gender complexities. Expanding the gender equality discourse to incorporate diverse voices is essential for achieving inclusivity in line with the SDGs.