November 20, 2011
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Transgender Day of Remembrance
Candlelight Vigil
3rd Street (front) Steps of the Pennsylvania
Capitol Building
Sunday, November 20th
4:30 – 6:00 pmCome join us at the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building for a candlelight event to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds people that Transgender people are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives allies a chance to step forward with Transgender people and stand in vigil, memorializing those who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.
Comments (4)
In my country transgeder is still a tabu and the violence and descrimination people suffers it’s just beyond description. Makes me smile a weak smile when I read how it is in another contries, we are so far from that. Sad.
Remember Henry Hilliard, Jr. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111108011 http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111120374
Henry, also known as Shelly Revlon, was a transgender teen who went missing in Detroit in October. Her torso was found burnt beyond recognition, dumped near a highway, 2 weeks after she went missing.
Please also remember Tyra Hunter, who was not a victim of violence, but certainly was a victim of bias. She was injured in a car accident and refused medical care by responding emergency responders once she was discovered to be trangender. Eventually a crowd that had gathered shamed the firefighters into resuming CPR but it was too late. Tyra lingered just awhile longer, succumbing to her injuries in the ER of DC General Hospital.
She was 24 years old. Her mother said she had lived entirely as a woman since she was 14.
This makes me cry… I wish… well, I wish that next year there wouldn’t be more names to add to the list of those we remember.