Transgender Day of Remembrance

Culture | November 16th, 2016

By Faye Seidler fayeseidler@gmail.com

The Transgender Day of Remembrance memorializes the trans individuals who have lost their lives due to violence this year. It is a day where we read their names and remember them—not how they died, but how they lived. This is also a day of visibility for the trans community and bears witness to the continued violence against them. This is a time for everyone who is trans, or those whose lives have been impacted by violence against trans people, to grieve and remember those we have lost.

This year, as in years prior, the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Moorhead will be hosting a service to honor this event on November 20th at 6:00 PM. It is located at 406 8th St S, Moorhead, MN 56560. While some in the LGBTQ+ community are fearful about going to churches, this church has a great track record for being affirming and accepting of all individuals. I can attest that I personally have had only warm and welcome receptions there.

The actual event will feature several transgender speakers and opportunities for trans audience members to take the stage to share their grief. There will also be a candlelight vigil, where they will extinguish the lights as they read off the names of those we have lost. After the candles are extinguished, they will be relit as trans individuals share what gives them hope. The theme of this event is one of hope, not despair, of acknowledging the pain and suffering that comes from transphobia. We come together to fight for change, so that one day we can authentically and safely be ourselves.

I helped host this event last year and it was a very powerful experience. We read more than two hundred names of trans individuals who lost their lives to violence. After the reading, we had a good dozen trans community members come up to share their hopes for the future. It was slow at first, but as we each shared ourselves and our hope, others gained the courage to do so. It was honestly one of the most beautiful moments in my life, to see people gain that courage and share in each other’s hope.

If nothing else, I really encourage people to attend this event if they’ve had rough time after this election. Anyone on facebook who has LGBTQ+ friends saw the effect that the election had. They likely saw their friends posting their fears of losing the right to marry, of losing insurance coverage, or even fear for their own safety. There was also a great deal of general despair and depression, even just a difficulty in waking up the next day. This event is a place for solidarity and sharing grief within the community. It is about being around friends and being in a safe place.

I’ll share that my own hope stems from the fact that we still have the power to fight and make progress at the local level, through visibility, outreach, and education; and stand up to the forces that attempt to silence, stifle, and intimidate us. We fought at the Stonewall Inn in 1969; and if need be we will fight again to be treated with respect, to unimpededly find love, and to pursue happiness.

This fight isn’t just for LGBTQ+ individuals. It is a fight that encompasses all marginalized identities, so we can connect and use what privileges we may have to stand up for those who don’t. I have not before this election, nor after it, wavered in my belief of a future that is inclusive of all. The more people try to limit justice, the harder I will fight to see it realized.

IF YOU GO

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Sunday, November 20, 6pm

First Congregational Church, 406 8th St S, Moorhead

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