Transgender Day of Remembrance

The LGBTQ community has really been on an upswing this last year. With marriage equality in 32 states and counting, we're closer to the day in which everyone will be afforded the right to marry the one they love.

The Obama Administration's recent executive order now protects an additional 28 million LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace. We have more LGBTQ characters in film and television, with greater attention to shared stories of transgender people and communities. Shows like "Orange Is the New Black," "Transparent" and "The T Word" are showing folks within our community and outside of it, that transgender and gender non-conforming people exist and are vital to communities everywhere.

With this increased visibility and momentous progress, over 100 cities across the world are still compelled to participate in the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) this year. The event dates back to a 1999 vigil, honoring the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was murdered in San Francisco. Like many transgender murder victims, to this day, Hester's case has not been solved. Since then, on or around November 20 every year, communities across the globe gather to bring awareness to the fact transgender and gender non-conforming people continue to face grave danger and discrimination, simply because of who we are. There were 62 transgender and gender non-conforming people murdered in the last year, names of whom will be read at local events across the state, country and the world. It is important to note however, that these are just the people we know about.

Unfortunately, when comparing our transgender brothers and sisters to cisgender people (gays and lesbians who are not transgender), we discover that transgender people still have a major uphill battle ahead - even within their own LGBTQ communities. It's still legal to fire someone because they are transgender in 32 states and according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, transgender and gender non-conforming people experience rates of unemployment at twice the national average of the general population.

Globally, the Organization of American States notes that transgender people are murdered at a rate 50 percent higher than gay or lesbian people. A little closer to home, the 2013 Hate Crimes Report released by L.A. County, states that while 61 percent of hate crimes committed against people based on race and 71 percent of hate crimes committed based on sexual orientation were violent, 100 percent of hate crimes committed against transgender people are of a violent nature - a sobering difference.

As someone who identifies as gender non-conforming, these statistics don't shock me. I live my life each day knowing that because I look different, because I don't use the pronouns people expect me to, because I transgress the boundaries of what people, including gay and lesbian people, expect me to look and act like, that the best-case scenario, is that I'm constantly having to "come out" to people. Explaining to them who I am, in the hopes that they will continue to act respectfully towards me. I try not to think about what the worst-case scenario might be.

TDoR is critical to demonstrating a public show of support for the most vulnerable population in our community. We must stand with transgender and gender non-conforming people to demand peace, dignity and respect for everyone within our communities. It is vital that we send the message, that it is a gross perversion and violation of our shared morality, to target any member of the LGBTQ community with violence, prejudice or discrimination simply because we dare to exist.

Though we have made tremendous strides, TDoR reminds us that we still have a long road ahead. I hope you will join me on the journey.

THE EVENTS

LONG BEACH:
Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Harvey Milk Promenade Park at Third Street and The Promenade. For more info visit centerlb.org

SAN DIEGO:
The Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil takes place Thursday, November 20 at 6 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre Street. For more information go to thecentersd.org

LOS ANGELES:
The Transgender Awareness Month Official Kick-off is on Monday, November 3, with the Trans Experience history project on Saturday, November 8. The Transgender Wellness and Well Being Conference takes place on Saturday, November 15. The Transgender Economic Empowerment Job and Resource Fair is on Monday, November 17 and the Transgender Day of Remembrance reception and march is on Thursday, November 20 at the West Hollywood Library Autocourt. For more information go to visitwesthollywood.com or weho.org

Porter Gilberg is the executive director of The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach.
Email Porter at [email protected] or go to centerlb.org