Transgender Day of Remembrance
The Asbury Park Community Church and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation ofMonmouth County are cosponsoring a secular memorial for Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday, November 17th at 6pm.
The two congregations are providing space and organizing this to show their love andsupport for the Trans* community. The event will be held at The Unitarian Universalist Congregations facility at 1475 West Front Street, NJ.
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.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender 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-transgender 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.