13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
Posted on | October 29, 2011
- Kim Stowell
“We Do This Every Year”
Will there ever come a year when the transgender community does not have to hold a Day of Remembrance?
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November 20, 2011 will mark the 13th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). Observed internationally, TDoR is a day when the transgender community, their allies and supporters gather to remember lives that have been lost in the last year to anti-transgender hatred and prejudice.
TDoR is held in November to honor Rita Hesler, whose murder in 1998 prompted the first vigil in California in1999. Her murder – like so many anti-transgender cases – has yet to be solved. In fact, the murder of Angie Zapata in 2008 led to the first time anyone was convicted of a hate crime against a transperson.
The statistics are powerful in relation to the size of the population: there is an average of one transperson killed each month in the United States, and there are countless incidents of hate-based assault. It is impossible to know exactly how many, as these crimes often go unreported because victims fear further victimization by outing themselves to the police.
Brandon Tina, who inspired the award-winning movie “Boys Don’t Cry,” is one of the most well known victims. The film brought the reality of transgender hate crimes to millions of people and is believed to have fueled the movement. It was released about one month before the first TDoR observance. Unfortunately, for young transpeople this is often the first impression they have about life as a transgender person.
This year’s event organizer Jaye Watts attended his first TDoR event in 2003, a vigil at Prospect Park on the East Side of Providence. “I remember feeling a sense of belonging to a community,” he said, “but was also overcome by fear and sadness.” The Prospect Park observance is no longer held, and Watts has been unsuccessful in locating the organizers, but he “hopes those folks will find out that the tradition continues and join us.”In 2009, Watts launched an effort to bring the event back to life by organizing a small group of community members from all over the state. “I want to bring the community together, bring awareness to the bias-motivated crimes that plague our community, and instill a sense of hope for the future, letting transpeople know that, although we mourn our brothers and sisters, we do not live in fear.”
Salve Regina senior Evan Gallo serves on the TDoR committee, and says, “In the past, the day has been one of respect and healing for both those affected and those who understand the injustices the trans community faces internationally. Possibly the most exciting aspect to this year’s TDoR event is the call to action town meeting at the end of the ceremony. It will ask the community where to go from here, and it will draw more attention to how most of these deaths go unsolved, and what we can do to make Rhode Island more trans-friendly. This year it is not only about healing, but also about action, and we hope people will be inspired to join us.”
“I think Chaz Bono’s visibility on television is a positive step in the right direction,” says Youth Pride, Inc. Executive Director Kerri Kanelos, “There are many other people who, like Chaz, are standing up against transphobia just by being visible in their communities or their work. There are academics like Jack Halberstam (author of books like In a Queer Time and Place and Female Masculinity), who not only do revolutionary work for their fields of study, but also bring visibility and hope to other transmen and transwomen who want to work in academia. In music, there’s Big Freedia, a black transwoman from New Orleans who is one of the biggest upcoming names in hip-hop — a genre of music that is often viewed as transphobic and homophobic.”
“In the past ten years or so,” she continues, “I’ve witnessed an increase in discussion about gender in general, how rigid it is, and how policing gender so closely hurts everyone. It’s a very emotionally and politically charged topic for some people; for example, the uproar of the J Crew catalogue that featured a mother who was painting her son’s toenails pink.”
Planning the event is an emotional time for Watts, himself a transman. When asked about that, he said, “I take time to reflect in private prior to the actual event. I feel it over and over as we plan the event, go over details and begin to plan the program. As the day gets closer, I continually check the TDoR website; the sad reality is that the number of lives lost never stops, so programs are not printed until the last minute. By the time the actual event rolls around, I feel slightly numb and disconnected. I keep busy as a coping mechanism — I am worrying about the itinerary, the program, the speakers and the candles… I have to remind myself every now and then to stop and just be in the moment. Sometimes I wonder how long I will be able to continue, but I remind myself that it is the least I can do for my community. I guess I keep doing it because it needs to be done.”
TDoR will take place on November 20 from 6-8 p.m. at Bell St. Chapel, 5 Bell St., Providence. There will be a candlelight vigil with community speakers, followed by refreshments and a town hall-style meeting to engage in a relevant and hopeful discussion. All are welcome. The event is sponsored by Youth Pride, Inc. and TGI Network of Rhode Island, and volunteers are needed to bring snacks and desserts to share. For information or to volunteer, contact Jaye at JAYE@youthprideri.org.
There will be other observances as well, especially on college and university campuses. Brown is hosting an event on Nov. 14, and the URI GLBT Center has indicated that they will mark the Day of Remembrance. Students and community should check with their own LGBT, Pride or Diversity offices.
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