365Gay.com – by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
(Washington) Vigils, services and a variety of other events are being held in 250 cities around the world today to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance – the day set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was organized by Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999 to honor the memory of Rita Hester who was murdered on November 28th, 1998 in San Francisco.
Smith’s candlelight vigil spread nationwide and then around the world. But Hester?s murder ? like most anti-transgender murder cases ? has yet to be solved.
“The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a solemn time to reflect on those who have been murdered because of their gender identity or expression,? said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
While there are no official statistics – the FBI does not keep records of trans killings – transgender advocacy groups say they number in the hundreds over the past decade. Some studies have shown that crimes against the trans community accounts for 10 percent of all violent crimes in America.