The lives of transgender people who died due to transphobic violence will be honored on Nov. 22 at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center at the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
A collaboration between the Houston Transgender Unity Community and the University, the Day of Remembrance has been observed at UH ever since the HTUC outgrew its previous venue, the Holocaust Museum.
Over 120 people, transgender (people whose gender and assigned sex do not match) and cisgender (people whose gender and assigned sex do match) alike participated in the event, forcing the HTUC to find another venue. UH, with its size and ties to the Houston LGBT community, was a natural choice.
“UH is a pillar of the community, and UH likes to reach out to the community and provide collaboration and so forth,” said Lorraine Schroeder, director of the UH LGBT Center. “It’s good for UH to bring new people to the campus.”
There will be a reception with light refreshments at 7 p.m. at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center, followed by speeches by members of the Gamma Rho Lambda sorority and other members of the community. Afterwards, a list of those who lost their lives due to transphobic violence worldwide over the past year will be listed.
Transgender people, Schroeder said, face an overwhelming amount of violence. Over 100 acts of violence were committed against transgender people in the first four months of 2014, the Transgender Violence Tracking Portal reported, some of the victims as young as 8.
According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 87 percent of LGBT murder victims are people of color, and 45 percent of hate murder victims are transgender women.
“To bring awareness that crimes against transgender individuals is a really a very serious problem. (Transgender people) are one of the most targeted minority groups, and safety is a huge concern in that community,” Schroeder said. “Spreading awareness and understanding for any minority group But it’s extra important when members of that minority group are being murdered.”
Thank you for hosting the event!