Every year on March 31, the world comes together to observe International Transgender Day of Visibility — a global celebration of transgender and nonbinary identities that also raises awareness of the discrimination and challenges the community continues to face. Whether you are looking for songs for International Transgender Day of Visibility to add to your playlist or want to deepen your understanding of trans musical culture, music has always been one of the most powerful tools for visibility and affirmation. From punk rock anthems to chart-topping pop hits, these 20 tracks — performed by real, verified trans and nonbinary artists — represent the voices, struggles, and triumphs of a community that deserves to be heard. Explore the best songs across genres that capture the spirit of this remarkable day.
“Transgender Dysphoria Blues” – Against Me!
Released in January 2014 as the title track of Against Me!’s sixth studio album, “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” is one of the most significant songs in trans musical history. Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace, who publicly came out as a transgender woman in a 2012 Rolling Stone cover story, wrote the album as a raw and unfiltered account of her gender dysphoria and the struggle to exist authentically in a world that was not built for her. The album debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and received universal acclaim from critics, and the title track became an instant anthem in trans punk communities around the world. For countless trans fans who had never heard their experiences reflected so directly in rock music, this song made them feel less alone in their journey.
“Unholy” – Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras
Released in September 2022, “Unholy” became one of the most culturally significant songs in recent LGBTQ+ history when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart simultaneously. Kim Petras became the first openly transgender solo artist to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with this track, and she subsequently became the first openly transgender artist to win a Grammy Award in a major category, taking home Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023. Sam Smith, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, stepped aside during the acceptance speech so that Petras could speak first, and she emotionally thanked her mother for believing her as a child when she first told her she was a girl. The song’s hyperpop production and its historic cultural impact make it an essential entry on any playlist celebrating trans visibility.
“Heart to Break” – Kim Petras
Released on Valentine’s Day in 2018, “Heart to Break” was the track that established Kim Petras as a rising force in pop music and earned her a devoted cult following in the LGBTQ+ community long before she became a household name. The song features her signature ’80s-infused, synth-heavy sound and climbed to number 52 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, later gaining additional exposure when it was featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Born in Cologne, Germany, Petras began hormone therapy at age 12 and underwent gender-affirming surgery at 16, making her one of the youngest people in Europe to do so at the time, and her resilience and unapologetic artistry have made her a symbol of trans excellence in mainstream pop. The music video, which casts Petras as a princess in a glittering fantasy world, was created as a tribute to the kind of feminine joy she was denied access to growing up.
“True Trans Soul Rebel” – Against Me!
Also from the landmark 2014 album “Transgender Dysphoria Blues,” “True Trans Soul Rebel” takes a more introspective and tender tone compared to the title track, presenting a direct meditation on authenticity and self-recognition for those still searching for themselves. Laura Jane Grace wrote the song as a kind of reaching-across-the-dark address to trans individuals who have not yet found their footing, validating the internal pain of dysphoria while simultaneously offering solidarity and a sense that survival is possible. The track’s driving, propulsive melody ensures that its message lands with both clarity and emotional urgency, and it has become one of the most beloved songs in the Against Me! catalog as a result. For trans punks around the world, it remains a staple of any affirmative listening experience.
“I Am Her” – Shea Diamond
Black transgender singer-songwriter and activist Shea Diamond wrote “I Am Her” while incarcerated in a men’s correctional facility in Michigan, composing it initially as what she described as a “last testament” — a record of her state of mind in case she did not survive her sentence. After her release in 2009, a video of Diamond performing the song a cappella at a Trans Lives Matter rally was seen by superstar songwriter and producer Justin Tranter, who immediately reached out and helped her secure a deal with Asylum Records, a Warner Music Group imprint. The song transforms the label of “outcast” into a declaration of immense power and pride, drawing on Diamond’s influences — Tina Turner and Whitney Houston — to create an R&B and soul anthem that is both deeply personal and broadly affirming. It earned her a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Music Artist and remains one of the most emotionally resonant trans anthems ever recorded.
“Body Was Made” – Ezra Furman
Ezra Furman, an openly queer and gender-fluid artist, released “Body Was Made” in July 2015 as a lead single from the album “Perpetual Motion People,” describing it as “a protest song against the people and forces that would make me ashamed of my body, my gender and my sexuality.” The track is built on a garage rock foundation with punchy horn blasts and an irresistible energy, and its chorus — “Your body is yours at the end of the day / Don’t let the hateful take it away” — became a quietly celebrated affirmation within trans and queer communities. Furman later contributed music to the Netflix series “Sex Education,” which brought her work to an even broader international audience, and she has continued to be a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights through her art and activism. The song’s specificity and defiance remain as urgent today as they were a decade ago.
“Born This Way” – Lady Gaga
While Lady Gaga is not a transgender artist, “Born This Way,” released in 2011, has functioned as one of the most widely embraced LGBTQ+ anthems in the history of pop music, with its lyrics explicitly and directly celebrating transgender and nonbinary identities alongside gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. The song’s core message — that every person is born worthy of love and acceptance exactly as they are — reached a generation of young LGBTQ+ people who desperately needed that affirmation, and it remains one of the most-played tracks at Pride events and trans visibility celebrations globally. Lady Gaga has been one of the most consistent allies for the transgender community throughout her career, and the cultural weight of “Born This Way” has only grown as political battles over trans rights have intensified. Its chorus has served as a rallying cry during some of the most charged moments in recent LGBTQ+ public history.
“Lemon Boy” – Cavetown
Cavetown is the bedroom pop project of Robin Skinner, a transgender male artist from Cambridge, England, who built a loyal global fanbase through deeply personal and emotionally honest songwriting that resonates profoundly with young people navigating mental health, identity, and the search for belonging. “Lemon Boy,” from his 2018 EP of the same name, personifies depression as a sour but ultimately accepted companion, capturing the exhausting reality of living with mental illness in a way that particularly resonates with trans youth who often face compounding emotional struggles. Skinner has been open about his own gender identity and the role music played in his own journey, and his ability to translate inner pain into accessible, gentle songs has earned him over one billion streams across platforms. The song’s sweet, lo-fi production and its message of radical acceptance — of both oneself and one’s darker companions — make it a quietly powerful entry in the trans visibility canon.
“Immaterial” – SOPHIE
The late SOPHIE, a Scottish transgender producer and artist who passed away in January 2021 at the age of 34 in a tragic accident in Athens, was widely regarded as one of the most visionary and influential figures in experimental pop music of the 21st century. “Immaterial,” released in 2018 as part of her landmark album “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides,” is perhaps her most direct statement of trans liberation: a euphoric, glitchy hyperpop anthem that celebrates freedom from the physical body and from all societal constraints on identity. The track articulated something that many trans people had long felt but rarely heard expressed so boldly in music, and it became one of the defining trans anthems of the modern era. SOPHIE’s legacy continues to shape the sound of hyperpop and electronic music worldwide, and “Immaterial” stands as one of her most enduring gifts to the community.
“Float” – Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe, who has described her identity as pansexual and nonbinary at various points in her career, has consistently used her music as a celebration of gender fluidity and radical freedom from societal expectations. “Float,” from her 2023 album “The Age of Pleasure,” is a liberation anthem built on lush, sensual production that invites the listener to release the weight of the world and simply exist in joy. The track was widely shared in trans-inclusive playlists for its thematic resonance with the experience of finally inhabiting one’s true self, free from the constraints of others’ perceptions. Monáe has been celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community throughout her career as an artist who champions visibility and refuses to be confined by convention, and “Float” is one of the most joyful entries on any trans visibility playlist.
“They/Them/Theirs” – Worriers
New York punk project Worriers, the ongoing creative vehicle of songwriter Lauren Denitzio, released “They/Them/Theirs” in 2015 as the lead single from the debut album “Imaginary Life,” produced by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!. The song is a deceptively punchy two-minute punk track that addresses the experience of navigating a world that struggles to accept gender-neutral pronouns, with Denitzio singing directly about the exhaustion of having to correct and justify one’s identity over and over again. The collaboration between Denitzio and Grace — two figures with different but complementary experiences of gender in the punk world — resulted in one of the most direct and accessible songs ever written about nonbinary pronoun identity. For nonbinary listeners in particular, the song has served as a rare and deeply validating mirror within rock music.
“Dysphoria Hoodie” – Laura Jane Grace
Released in October 2023, “Dysphoria Hoodie” is a solo acoustic track by Laura Jane Grace and the lead single from her album “Hole in My Head,” released on Polyvinyl Record Co. in 2024. Grace described the song as being about the oversized hooded sweatshirt that trans people wear as a kind of armor against the world — a garment used to hide one’s body shape, conceal one’s head, and disappear as much as possible when dysphoria becomes overwhelming. The song’s stripped-down, acoustic folk-punk production gives it an intimacy that perfectly suits its subject matter, and its specificity — addressing a very particular and universally recognized trans experience — is exactly what makes it feel so honest and warm. Stereogum described it as a “strident acoustic rager,” and for trans listeners it is a moving tribute to one of the most widely understood symbols of trans daily life.
“Preacher’s Daughter” – Ethel Cain
Ethel Cain is the stage name of transgender artist Hayden Silas Anhedönia, whose debut album “Preacher’s Daughter” was released in May 2022 to widespread critical acclaim and has continued to grow in cultural stature ever since. In April 2025, the album entered the Top 10 of the US Billboard 200 chart — a historic milestone representing the first time an album by a transgender artist had achieved that position on that chart. Ethel Cain’s music blends ambient, Southern Gothic folk, and art rock into a cinematic exploration of trauma, religion, and the search for self through myth, memory, and survival, and the haunting title track serves as an unforgettable introduction to one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. For trans listeners, the album’s themes of reclaiming one’s own story from suffocating external frameworks have resonated with extraordinary depth and power.
“Civil War” – Peppermint
Peppermint, a Black transgender woman, actress, and activist who became the runner-up of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 in 2017, released “Civil War” from her second studio album “Black Pepper” that same year as a raw and unflinching statement about the experience of being a transgender woman in America. Billboard specifically cited “Civil War” as the track where Peppermint gets most direct about the reality of trans life, with lyrics that describe the daily internal and external battles faced by trans women — particularly trans women of color — set to a theatrical, anthemic pop production. Peppermint has since become the first out trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway, starring in “Head Over Heels” in 2018, and she has remained a consistent and vocal advocate for trans rights across entertainment and activism. “Civil War” stands as one of the boldest pop songs ever written about the lived experience of being a Black transgender woman in the United States.
“Dumbest Girl Alive” – 100 Gecs
100 Gecs is a hyperpop duo comprising Laura Les, a transgender woman, and Dylan Brady, whose genre-defying music has attracted an intensely devoted following from queer and trans communities around the world. “Dumbest Girl Alive” is one of their most beloved tracks — a chaotic, irreverent, and deeply funny piece of maximalist pop that captures the kind of unrestrained self-expression that many trans people find both liberating and deeply affirming in the duo’s work. 100 Gecs have toured with artists as varied as Nine Inch Nails, Brockhampton, and My Chemical Romance, demonstrating that their appeal transcends genre boundaries and resonates with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider seeking permission to be exactly who they are, as loudly as possible. The song’s complete indifference to convention makes it a joyful and unapologetic celebration of trans freedom.
“Hit the Back” – King Princess
King Princess, the stage name of genderqueer artist Mikaela Mullaney Straus, burst onto the indie pop scene in 2018 with the debut single “1950” and has since become one of the most beloved figures in queer music, known for her boldly personal lyrics and retro-tinged production. “Hit the Back” is a confident, sexually frank anthem that King Princess described as an anthem for bottoms everywhere — a declaration of desire and identity that is playful, self-assured, and completely unapologetic. The song’s sleek production and its lyrical directness reflect a generation of LGBTQ+ artists who are no longer willing to soften or obscure their experiences to make mainstream audiences comfortable, and it has been warmly embraced as a queer and trans community anthem. For nonbinary and genderqueer listeners, King Princess’s work represents a joyful and authentically modern vision of what gender liberation sounds like in contemporary pop.
“Skin on Skin” – jasmine.4.t
jasmine.4.t, the project of Manchester-based transgender artist Jasmine Cruickshank, signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in July 2024 after Bridgers heard her demos while on the road with Lucy Dacus — making jasmine.4.t the first UK artist to join the label. “Skin on Skin” was released as her debut Saddest Factory single and was produced by all three members of boygenius — Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus — with Baker also contributing guitar to the recording. The song is a tender, alt-pop love song about trans people loving other trans people, addressing a gap in the cultural landscape where such stories are rarely told with this much gentleness and depth. jasmine.4.t later released her debut album “You Are the Morning” in January 2025, produced entirely by boygenius at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, featuring the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
“Bloom” – Great Grandpa
Great Grandpa is a Seattle indie rock band whose lead singer Al Menne came out as transgender during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the 2019 release of the band’s critically acclaimed second album “Four of Arrows,” which contains “Bloom” as one of its most beloved tracks. The song was co-written by Menne and guitarist Pat Goodwin, with Menne’s lyrics capturing the universal anxiety of feeling stuck alongside the tentative belief that change is still possible at any age: “Say I’m young enough to change / Please say I’m young enough,” before landing on the chorus, “Step into whatever you want to and let your spirit bloom.” In a 2025 interview, Menne reflected that coming out as trans during COVID gave them the space to show up more fully as a musician and a friend, deepening the band’s connection and adding new resonance to this song about becoming. For trans listeners who discovered Great Grandpa after Menne’s coming out, “Bloom” has become a quietly profound song about finding yourself before you even have the words for who you are.
“Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” – Yeule
Singaporean-born, London-based artist Yeule — who uses she/they pronouns — recorded a stunning cover of the Broken Social Scene song “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” for the acclaimed 2024 trans film “I Saw the TV Glow,” written and directed by trans filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun. Yeule’s version transforms the original into something ethereal and deeply melancholic, perfectly suited to the film’s exploration of dissociation, gender identity, and the longing to be truly seen. The cover became one of the most discussed musical moments associated with trans cinema in recent years and introduced Yeule’s experimental, dream-like sound to a much wider international audience. For many trans viewers, the combination of the film’s themes and Yeule’s haunting interpretation created one of the most emotionally resonant musical experiences of recent memory.
“Femininomenon” – Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon,” from her breakthrough 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” has become a genuine queer and trans cultural anthem — a bombastic, theatrical pop declaration of feminine power that trans women in particular have embraced as an affirmation of their womanhood on their own terms. Roan, who is openly queer and has been a vocal ally for trans rights throughout her rapid rise to mainstream fame, has consistently centered LGBTQ+ voices in her public work, and the song’s unapologetic celebration of femininity connects powerfully with trans women who have had to fight for that femininity to be recognized and respected. The album was one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful records of 2024, bringing its pro-queer messages to millions of new listeners worldwide. As a newer release on this list, “Femininomenon” represents the exciting and ever-growing wave of trans and queer visibility in mainstream pop music.
Music has a unique power to cross barriers, build bridges, and remind people they are not alone. Whether you are curating a listening experience for the Day of Visibility or simply want to honor the trans and nonbinary artists who have shaped culture, making sure your audio setup does justice to their performances is worth considering. Check out our headphone comparisons and earbud comparisons to find the perfect listening experience for this and every occasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is International Transgender Day of Visibility?
International Transgender Day of Visibility is observed every year on March 31. It was founded in 2009 by Rachel Crandall-Crocker, a psychotherapist and executive director of Transgender Michigan, who wanted to create a day of joy and celebration for the trans community that was separate from the more somber Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed every November. The day honors the lives, contributions, and resilience of transgender and nonbinary people worldwide while also drawing attention to the discrimination and violence that many in the community continue to face. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to issue a formal presidential proclamation recognizing the day.
Who are some of the most important transgender musicians in history?
Some of the most historically significant transgender musicians include Wendy Carlos, a pioneering electronic composer who won three Grammy Awards in 1969 and publicly came out as a trans woman in a 1979 Playboy interview. Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! was one of the first established modern rock artists to come out as transgender in 2012, dramatically shifting representation in rock music. SOPHIE, who passed away in 2021, was a visionary producer and artist whose influence on electronic and hyperpop music remains immeasurable. Kim Petras made history in 2022 as the first openly transgender solo artist to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and again in 2023 as the first to win a major-category Grammy Award.
What makes a song a good transgender anthem?
A great transgender anthem typically does one or more of the following: it is performed by a trans or nonbinary artist speaking from lived experience; it directly addresses themes of gender identity, transition, dysphoria, or the fight for recognition; or it serves as an affirmation of trans existence and belonging in a world that too often marginalizes trans voices. The most powerful trans anthems tend to be specific in their language — they speak to the precise emotional textures of trans life rather than offering generic messages about being yourself — and they are created from within the community rather than about it from the outside. Songs like “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” by Against Me! and “Immaterial” by SOPHIE are celebrated because they were written by trans artists who understood, from the inside, exactly what they needed to say.
Are there any new transgender artists making music in 2024 and 2025?
Yes, there is a vibrant and growing community of newer trans and nonbinary artists making music today. Ethel Cain’s 2022 debut album “Preacher’s Daughter” achieved Top 10 status on the US Billboard 200 in April 2025, marking a historic milestone for trans representation in mainstream music. jasmine.4.t released her debut album “You Are the Morning” in January 2025, produced by boygenius, to critical acclaim. Yeule continues to release innovative experimental music, and her work gained significant new visibility through the acclaimed 2024 trans film “I Saw the TV Glow.” The trans musical community is larger, more diverse, and more commercially visible than at any point in history.
How can I support transgender artists on the Day of Visibility?
There are many meaningful ways to support transgender artists on and beyond the Day of Visibility. Streaming their music on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, purchasing their music and merchandise directly, attending their live shows, and sharing their work authentically on social media all make a tangible difference — particularly for independent trans artists working outside major label systems. Following trans artists year-round and engaging genuinely with their work — rather than only consuming it during designated awareness moments — is equally important for sustaining the communities that produce this music. You can also support organizations that advocate for trans rights, many of which are directly connected to the arts and cultural communities that produce and sustain transgender music.