Columbus, Ohio – Local and statewide organizations announce the 9 th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is held in November each year to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender, each was a victim of violence based on bias or prejudice against transgender people. The list of deaths available at http://www.rememberingourdead.org only contains those deaths known to the transgender community or that have been reported to the media. The Day of Remembrance is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
This year’s vigil will take place on Monday, November 19, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at King Avenue United Methodist Church, located at 299 King Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is intended to raise 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 transgender people who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance gives transgender people and their allies a chance to step forward and stand in vigil, memorializing those who have died by anti-transgender violence.
Sponsors of this year’s event are: Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO),OSU GLBTSS: The Multi-Cultural Center, TransOhio, SpeakOUT, PFLAG-Columbus, Gender Dysphoria Program of Central Ohio, Stonewall Columbus, The Crystal Club, Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC), King Avenue United Methodist Church, and Delaware Gay Straight Christian Alliance.