December 2021
From the Brigham Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
Each year in November, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week, a time to elevate and recognize transgender people and the issues members of the community face. The week culminates in Transgender Day of Remembrance, on Nov. 20.
Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999, founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a way to honor the life of Rita Hester[1], a transgender woman who was killed in Boston the year before. This day offers us an opportunity to honor the memory and celebrate the lives of transgender and gender nonconforming people whose lives were taken by violence.
Violent incidents targeting transgender people are underreported. Victims of violence are often misgendered in police reports, and many incidents are never reported. We know that at least 46 transgender and gender nonconforming people have been killed in the US this year, which is more than any other year. The American Medical Association has declared anti-transgender violence an epidemic and continues to advocate for education and better tracking of hate crimes against this community of people.[2]
Please join us in honoring the lives of those who have been lost, both known and unknown; join us in seeing our transgender family members, friends, and colleagues; join us in building a community where all are seen, respected, and loved.
Here are some links to follow to learn more. Please take time to read, reflect, and feel.
- Golden’s Beautiful Resistance: Never Without Wings
- GLAAD: Transgender Day of RemembranceNational Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Violence Against Trans and Non-Binary People
- National Center for Transgender Equality
[1] https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/07/15/two-decades-after-her-death-rita-hesters-family-reflects-on-her-spirit
[2] https://nonprofitquarterly.org/american-medical-association-transgender-deaths-are-an-epidemic/
