By Giovanni M. Ravalli, LGBTQ+ Correspondent
In recognition of Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR), as part of Transgender Awareness Week, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center held a vigil at the Brooklyn College Koi pond on Nov. 19. GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) defines TDoR as an annual observance on Nov. 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
The yearly day was established in 1999 when Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender advocate, held a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. To honor the over 400+ trans people globally who have lost their lives to violence or suicide since last year, people from all parts of campus came to pay their respects.
“It’s important that we pay our respects and keep their memory alive,” said Zeno Wood, a piano technician at BC. “I’ve always been supportive of trans rights, I’ve had trans friends for over 30 years, my son is trans. We’ve come such a long way in terms of trans acceptance and along with that is trans remembrance and paying respect to those who’ve passed.”
The vigil consisted of a booklet with all the names of trans victims who have lost their lives in the last year. As each name was read, a battery-powered LED candle for each of them was laid out next to the Koi pond. This year the LGBTQ+ Resource Center added on a silent march across campus holding a large transgender flag. For some it’s personal and was a powerfully emotional experience for all.
“I knew I had to be there because I’m trans so I feel like it’s my obligation to go there and attend and if I don’t then I’d just feel pretty bad about not attending because I’d feel like I’m doing a disservice to my trans community,” said Emily Goldstein, a senior film major at BC. “Attending the vigils and reading the names, it feels very emotional and I feel very connected to the people who lost their lives and I would like to know more about them instead of just reading their names and stuff.”
The transgender community has some of the highest rates of violent hate crimes committed against the community, with those living at the intersections of marginalized identities being disproportionately victimized in relation to their non-minority counterparts. According to HRC, Black transgender women, who face multiple layers of violence due to their gender identity, gender, and race, comprise 61% of all victims of fatal violence against transgender and gender-expansive people. Since 2013, 84% of trans and gender-expansive victims of fatal violence were people of color and 83% were transgender women.
“I think it’s a really heavy day,” said Andy Hale, a counselor in BC’s Personal Counseling services. “I think it’s a day where we stop and take inventory, and I think there’s always an awareness there of the violence against trans people because it happens so often and we feel the weight of it in the day-to-day life. But this is really a time where we really stop and many people in the community are doing that inventory and reflection.”
The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Hester’s death which began a tradition that has since become known as Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“At this crucial juncture in national politics, TDoR takes on new significance in the LGBTQ+ community,” said Kelly Spivey, director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. “Each year we hold this vigil, and each year it’s both difficult and healing. TDoR vigils are held in many places around the globe to commemorate those we’ve lost to transphobia and trans violence. This includes suicide as transgender folks are more likely to consider and attempt suicide 41% of trans-Americans have attempted suicide.”
As the lives lost as well as the ongoing struggles of the transgender community continue, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center hopes to continue to be there to serve as hope and support for the community.
“It’s important for me to be here as a staff member from personal counseling and as a trans mental health provider. I think it’s important for trans people to see me and have that visibility,” Hale told The Vanguard. “Our office is absolutely LGBTQ-affirming and that’s not dropping the T, we are a very trans-affirming office. We offer group therapy and individual therapy. Specifically to trans students, if you are trying to work through something and you don’t know what to make of it, come talk to us.”
Students interested in the LGBTQ+ Resource Center can visit their website, https://www.brooklyn.edu/lgbtq-center/ , or their Instagram, @lgbtqcenter_bc
Students interested in free and confidential personal counseling services can visit their website https://www.brooklyn.edu/dosa/health-and-wellness/personal-counseling/ call 718.951.5363 or go in person at James Hall Room 0203