The Transgender Day of Remembrance
(TDOR) and the Purple Ribbon Project.
Wednesday November 20th, 2013
Remembering our dead and raising public awareness
A conservative estimate
places the worldwide Transgender population at one in five hundred,
unfortunately, public understanding and general misinformation about
Transgender persons, especially children makes us a target of hatred and
violence. In the last year, twenty nine Transpeople were murdered that we know
of, and many more died through self harm. On Wednesday November 20th, The
Transgender Day of Remembrance, Transpeople worldwide will hold vigils to
remember our dead and honour them.
The Moongoddess Foundation, a not for
profit enterprise in Toronto, ON., in association with The Metropolitan
Community Church of Toronto’s Transgender Resource, Education, and Action Team
group have created the Purple Ribbon Project to raise awareness of this most
important day of the year for
Transpeople. The Purple ribbon already stands for anti LGBT Bullying and
we thought it appropriate, since more than fifty percent of Trans youth ideate
of suicide and self harm. Sadly, far too many follow through and succeed.
On Sunday, November 17th,
The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto will be observing the Transgender
Day of Remembrance at their 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 7:00 pm services with a
moment of silence to honour those who died in the last year.
November is a month of remembrance
already, and we don’t want to take anything away from the veterans, as a great
number of Transpeople have served and are serving proudly in the military
worldwide. So we are asking people to wear the Poppy and the Purple in
November, and to take a moment in the evening of November Twentieth to think
about those we have lost. If raising
awareness saves even one life over the next year, it’s working.
Although TDOR is a day of somber
remembrance, it is also an opportunity for the Transgender community to raise
awareness of the fear of harassment and violence we live with every day of our
lives. We are more likely to question our self worth, live in a web of denial
and lies, and are very prone to depression.
We are your neighbours, we are your
children, we are your family, and we are human.
The
T in LGBT Cannot be Silent.
These are
the faces and names of Trans people Murdered since the last Trans Day Of
Remembrance.
This is by
no means a complete list as may deaths go unreported or the gender and names of
the Transpeople are misreported.
This also
does not take into account the 40-50 % of Transpeople who self harm.
Mercedes Demarco (aka Fernando Gomez): Died in police custody after being tased. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed by this writing.
Hilary Molina Mendiola: Pulled from a car
and thrown from a bridge by two men in Mexico City.
S. Athiswaran: Found tied up and
stabbed to death at her home in Bagan Ajam, Malaysia.
Eyricka Morgan: Died at a hospital
after being stabbed at home in New Brunswick, N.J. A roommate has been arrested
and charged with murder.
Melony Smith: Beaten to death in
Baldwin Park, Calif. A suspect has been arrested.
Shaun Hartley: Found beaten to
death in an abandoned house in Baton Rouge, La. Hartley was a witness to a
murder for the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney and may have been
silenced.
Konyale Madden: Found shot to death
in her home in Savannah, Texas.
Islan Nettles: Died at a New York
City hospital following removal of life support after being declared brain-dead
following a brutal beating. Police have a suspect.
Domonique Newburn: Found dead in her
home in Fontana, Calif. Police have a suspect.
Gaye: Found murdered in
her home in Istanbul, Turkey.
J. Ratworabood: Shot to death after
she was given a ride home in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The police arrested a
suspect.
Mylene: Beaten to death
with a hammer in Limoges, France. A suspect has been arrested.
D. Jones: Beaten, stabbed and
hacked by a mob in Jamaica. No suspects have been arrested.
Hari (female name
unknown): Found dead under a pile of rocks in Mangadu, India. A suspect has
been arrested.
Diamond Williams: Hacked to death
with an axe in Philadelphia. A suspect has been arrested.
Dora Oezer: Found stabbed to
death in her home in the providence of Kusadasi in Turkey.
Unknown: Found dead in a Houston,
Texas, gully.
Diana Martinez: Shot to death
inside a hotel in Monterrey, Mexico.
Unknown: Brutally murdered
in Hidalgo, Mexico.
Wanda: Legendary Miami
entertainer was shot to death in Tampa, Fla. A suspect has been arrested.
Laura Aguilar: Stabbed to death in
Rio Grande, Argentina, during an apparent domestic dispute with her ex-partner.
Cemia Acoff (aka Cemia Dove,
Cici): Found in a retaining pond tethered to a block in Cleveland, Ohio. A
suspect is now on trial for the murder.
Ashley Sinclair: Found shot to death
in Orange County, Fla.
Kelly Young: Died at a hospital
after being shot in her home in Baltimore, Md.
Milan Boudreaux: Found shot in the
head at her New Orleans-area home. A suspect has been arrested.
Unknown: Beaten to death in
Istanbul, Turkey.
Evon Young (aka Yung LT):
Choked, shot and tossed in a dumpster. His body was never found. Five suspects
were arrested.
Cecilia Marahouse: Shot just outside
Fortaleza, Brazil.
Gunce Hatun (aka Dairy Babe):
Shot on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey. A suspect was detained.
When you take into
account that a conservative estimate of Transpeople is 1 in 500, these numbers
become terrifying, with the assailants usually attempting the “Gay Panic”
Defense when arrested.
Nobody should be so afraid
that they take their own lives and nobody should ever be killed for being who
they are.
Remember those who no
longer have a voice. Remember them on November 20th and all year.
I Give My
Voice
I give my
voice, to those who no longer have a voice.
I raise my
voice, against those who use hatred and violence against us.
I use my
voice, to sing of the beauty both hidden and lost.
I lend my
voice, to help people know the truth.
I am my voice, for as long as
people need to hear.
Diana Howe 2013
Images and
list courtesy of Courtney O’Donnell a.k.a. Lexie Cannes
