http://www.gender.org/remember/day/
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.
If you are coordinating a TDOR and you do not see your event listed here, please contact Ethan St.Pierre, Radicalguy@gmail.com
BELOW FROM ETHAN A FTM
I am still gathering more information on the other 2 Iraqi women who are listed at the bottom of the page.
Including those 2 women, there are now 29 people on this list.
I am updating the statistics and events locations while I wait for more information.
Kellie TelesfordLocation: Thornton Heath, UKCause of Death: StrangledDate of Death: November 21, 2007Kellie was strangled to death with a scarf, by 18 year old Shanniel Hyatt, who then covered the body of 39-year-old Kellie Telesford with a white blanket - with the brown furry scarf used to choke her still bound tightly round her neck. Hyatt said he killer her after discovering she had a penis.
Adolphus SimmonsLocation: Charleston, SCCause of Death: Shot to Death (Aldophus was 18 yrs. old)Date of Death: January 21, 2008
Fedra (a known transvestite)Location: Kota Kinabalu, MalaysiaCause of Death: Was found lying face up in a pool of blood,cause of death was not reported.Date of Death: January 22, 2008
Ashley SweeneyLocation: Detroit, MichiganCause of Death: Shot in the headDate of Death: February 4, 2008The age of Ashley Sweeney is unknown, she was only described as a young transgender woman in a press release.
Sanesha (Talib) StewartLocation: Bronx, NYCause of Death: Stabbed to DeathDate of Death: February 10, 2008Sanesha was 25 years old.
Lawrence KingLocation: Oxnard, CaliforniaCause of Death: Shot to death by a classmate because he liked to wearwomen's clothes. (Lawrence King was 15 years old).Date of Death: February 12, 2008
Simmie Williams Jr.Location: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaCause of Death: Shot to death, Simmie was found wearing women's clothing. (Simmie was 17 years old)Date of Death: February 22, 2008
Luna (no last name reported)Location: Lisbon, PortugalCause of Death: Brutally beaten to death and tossed into a dumpster.Date of Death: March 15, 2008
Lloyd NixonLocation: West Palm Beach, Florida Cause of Death:Repeatedly beat in the head with a brick.Date of Death: April 16, 2008Lloyd was 45 years old.Felicia Melton-SmythLocation: Puerto Vallarta, MexicoCause of Death: brutally stabbed to death by Francisco Javier Hollos, who said he killed her because she would not pay for sex. Felicia was an HIV activist on vacation from Wisconsin.Date of Death: May 26, 2008
Silvana BerishaLocation: Hamburg, GermanyCause of Death: Stabbed to DeathDate of Death: June 24, 2008
Ebony (Rodney) WhitakerLocation: Memphis, TennesseeCause of Death:Shot (Ebony was 20 yrs. old)Date of Death:July 1, 2008
Rosa PazosLocation: Sevilla, SpainCause of Death: Was found in her apartment, she had been stabbed in the throat.Date of Death: July 11, 2008
Juan Carlos Aucalle CoronelLocation: Lombardi, ItalyCause of Death severely beaten causing fractures to the head and face before being run over by a car.Date of Death July 14, 2008Juan Carlos was 35 years old.
Angie ZapataLocation: Greeley, ColoradoCause of Death: She was found in her home with two severe fractures in her skull.Angie was murdered by 31 year old, Alan Ray Andrade. Angie was 18 years old.Date of Death: July 17, 2008
Jaylynn L. NamauuLocation: Makiki Honolulu, HawaiiCause of Death: Stabbed to DeathDate of Death: July 17, 2008Jaylynn was 35 years old.
Samantha Rangel BrandauLocation: Milan, ItalyCause of Death: beaten, gang raped and stabbed numerous times before being left for dead.Date of Death: July 29, 2008Samantha was 30 years old.Ruby MolinaLocation: Sacramento, CaliforniaCause of Death: DrownedDate of Death: September 21, 2008Ruby's naked body was found floating in the American river.She was 22 years old.Aimee WilcoxsonLocation: Aurora, ColoradoCause of Death: undetermined (Police have yet to reveal cause)Date of Death: November 3, 2008Aimee was found dead in her bed. She was 34 years old.
Duanna JohnsonLocation: Memphis, TennesseeCause of Death: ShotDate of Death: November 9, 2008Duanna was found dead in the middle of the street. She was 42 years old.Dilek InceLocation: Ankara, TurkeyCause of Death:Shot in the back of the headDate of Death: November 11, 2008Teish (Moses) CannonLocation: Syracuse, New YorkCause of Death: ShotDate of Death: November 14, 2008Teish was 22 years old.
AliLocation:IraqCause of Death:executed for being transgenderDate of Death:2008, Month is UnknownVideo of Ali before she was executed: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tDVtjQNfQ*IMPORTANT NOTE - (In case I don't get the details posted in time) There were 2 other Iraqi, transgender women who were executed at the same time as Ali. Please remember them at your TDoR event.Contact Ethan at Radicalguy@...
Queers United stands firmly in support of Barack Obama for president because of his principles of fairness and equality for all citizens.
Barack Obama's Stance:
http://transpolitical.blogspot.com/2008/09/hrc-lcr-gop-not-glbt.html
reprint from TransPolitical blog: 9/9/08
“I don't know about the rest of you, but I am absolutely furious about this. Not only is this inequitable, it's fuckin dismissive and disrespectful.” — Steven Driscoll, National Stonewall Democrats Board Co-Chair
Can anybody tell me why HRC had such prominence with the Obama Campaign once Hillary was officially out of the race? They even proffered their own handpicked trans person, a relative unknown to the trans community itself that they brought onto the business council, to be the campaign’s transgender steering committee member. And this for what support they’ve shown?
As Andrew Sullivan noted at the time Hillary dropped out, HRC’s own board of directors had given to the following presidential candidates’ campaigns:
“Well I'll be damned, here comes your ghost again.But that's not unusualIt's just that the moon is full and you happened to callAnd here I sit, hand on the telephone,Hearing a voice I'd known a couple of light years agoHeading straight for a fall” — Diamonds And Rust, Joan Baez
“They were fast-moving opportunists encased in cynicism and proud of it.” — journalist, Jay Carr
For some reason, it seemed like a lot was going on while we were convened in Texas’ Democratic Convention last weekend. The economy tanked. Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign. And for trans supporters, Barack Obama held a conference call with the LGBT community. (No, I don’t get invitations to those things … I just volunteer on the campaign, organize, get others involved in volunteering and win a delegate slot to Denver instead. That’s plenty on the plate, I reckon.)
The Obama Campaign LGBT conference call focused on bringing in (of all people) HRC leaders, as in Human Rights Campaign or Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters – however you want to slice it. Indeed during the conference call, there was apparently some issue with the HRC (the group) focus and how “99% of the issues voiced” were gay or lesbian, while transgender was mostly never heard. For those in Trans America, we know we’re not Johnny-come-latelys and had long ago thrown our support to Obama (knowing Clinton’s gay/lesbian-only propensity).
Some of the trans participants in the conference call expressed surprise, hurt or “dismay” (as Donna Rose noted in her blog) at the focus of the subject matter due to HRC’s prominence in the call. For those who’ve been at this since the 90’s, especially old-line NTAC folk like me, having transgender being an equal part of something HRC-focused would’ve been the surprise. This opportunism and self-focus was classic HRC. If anything, how the conference call played out should serve to remind trans leaders that HRC is still HRC, and is still (as always) gay and lesbian. Period.
The differences were clear in the VP debate, as it relates to civil rights for GLBT people and their families.
Hi everyone,
I am posting here for the first time so thought I'd introduce myself. I am a blogger/podcaster/youtube video producer and I just got back from Denver. It was electric and I am fired up to do what I can to help Barack win. I've just signed up on this site, I plan to contact my election office Monday to see about being a poll watcher and I intend to be an active member in the GLBT Tennessee group here. I invite you to check out my regular blog (http://avalonfarmblog.wordpress.com) for posts from the DNC. I had a guest blogger in Denver: Marisa Richmond, Tennessee's first African-American transgender delegate. She posted daily from the convention floor at the Pepsi Center and Mile High Stadium. I was blogging from The Big Tent along with several hundred other bloggers. There were several exciting glbt events we covered including the HRC premier show with Melissa Ethridge, Cyndi Lauper and others. Cheers to all and let's go take our country back!
Peace & Love,
Val
June is coming up, and with it, pride festivals in cities across the country.
http://pride.barackobama.com/pridemonth
As a member of Obama Pride, you can use these events to help make a big difference for Barack.
The LGBT community will be an essential part of our strategy as we prepare to challenge John McCain in all 50 states, and there's no better opportunity to reach out and organize than at your local pride festival.
There are organizing events scheduled all across the country, so come join in the excitement and make a difference for Barack at the pride festival near you:
This campaign has always been about everyday people reaching out to one another, talking to friends and neighbors about our common vision for changing this country.
Pride Month is a perfect opportunity to make this happen by spreading the word about Barack's positions on LGBT issues and letting everyone know why we're a part of this movement.
We'll march and show our support for Barack -- then we'll talk to voters, register new people to vote, and sign up volunteers to help us win in November!
Learn more about how you can make a difference for Barack at your pride parade:
Thank you,
Jamie
Jamie CitronLGBT Outreach CoordinatorObama for America
I have cut and pasted the following from The Bilerico Project. It was from reading the blog entry that was the pivital point that convinced me that Barack Obama was the candidate that I will trust to produce the changes to bring integrity back to government. Peace
Open Letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT Community
Filed by Guest Blogger
February 28, 2008 9:30 AM [Editor's note:] The following letter was released by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to GLBT Americans. This letter follows the announcement that the Obama campaign will be taking out full page ads in GLBT newspapers in Ohio and Texas beginning Friday. Read Obama's previous Bilerico guest post A Call for Full Equality.
I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.
Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.
The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.
We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia – that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. MartinLuther King once preached.
Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.
Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.
2 days ago I believed in nothing. Talking with my mother on the phone I exclaimed "I can not care this year. Give me a democrat, anyone, and I will vote for them. No matter their policy, no matter their ideals, I will vote for whatever democrat we put on the chopping block." In return for this outcry of disgust with our system, my mother insisted I watch Sen. Obama speak. Reluctantly I visited this website, and clicked play on the video of Barack Obama speaking at Tulane University. Quietly, I sat there, listening, watching a man impress upon me the importance of striving to create change. I didn't want to believe in him, I didn't want to be let down again with a stolen and corrupt election. Speech after speech though I watched, unable to stop myself. I could not get enough of the Hope he presented to me. 8 years of hate and fear filled government have left me feeling desolate and hopeless about America. 8 years of policies designed to limit my rights as a women and GLBT citizen. 8 years of fearing my government. Barack Obama spoke to me through this haze of fear, he reached out to me and showed me that we can make change happen. I truly believe that Barack Obama is the leader our country needs to pull ourselves out of this mess, to get back on the right track and bring equality and justice back to America.
I plan on using this blog to document and explore my experiences not just as a GLBT citizen, but as a trans woman fighting for Hope in America.
Welcome to new members of allGLBTforObama and my friends list and please introduce yourself at our listserve by using this email address here = glbtforobamagaylesbianbisexualtransgende@groups.barackobama.com or by writing a blog and posting it to our group.
Also I just made another monthly donation to allGLBTforObama group !
I hope you all like my invitation when you join our group. Here it is at the bottom of this email to remind you. However, if you can help build our allGLBTforObama fundraiser that would be great. We are up too $200.00 so far.
Remember Barack Obama is not taking any contributions from Washington lobbyists or political action committees. Danielle Clarke has contributed $50.00 to your group's fundraising page. You can track your group's overall progress towards your goal on the dashboard: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/dashboard/maingroup/allGLBTforOBAMAgaylesbianbisexualtransgender Will you join me by making a donation? CLICK HERE = https://donate.barackobama.com/donateinvite
...........................................................PS: I STARTED THIS GROUP WAY BACK IN FEB 2007 WHEN THE SITE OPENED AND I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE IT GROW AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BLOG TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT AND USE THE LISTSERVE................................................MY INTRO TO YOU ALL WHEN YOU JOIN OUR PRIVATE GROUP:
CLICK READ MORE TO SEE IT:
7. OBAMA ON GOSPEL TOUR = MANY ARTICLES
8. OBAMA WON'T THROW GAYS UNDER THE BUS WILL HILLARY?
9. OBAMA ON PRIDE MONTH AND STATEMENT ON LGBT RIGHTS
10. GAY MAN CHARLES MERRILL TALKS TO ME ABOUT OBAMA CLINTON EDWARDS BY IM
TOO SEE LONG BLOG - CLICK - READ MORE
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES COVER MANY AREAS FOR USE IN REBUTING THOSE WHO WOULD ATTACK BARACK
1. OBAMA WINS LOGO GAY DEBATES
2. OBAMA ON D.O.M.A. = DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT
3. OBAMA ON NON BLOOD FAMILY VISITS
4. OBAMA ON UNTING AMERICAN FAMILIES ACT
5. OBAMA'S PAST WORDS 2004 RESEMBLES HIS PRESENT WORDS
6. OBAMA ON TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
![[Photo from San Francisco DOR 2000]](http://www.gender.org/remember/day/images/vigil_shot.jpg)
![[Photo from San Francisco DOR 2001]](http://www.gender.org/remember/day/images/vigil_gwen.jpg)
