The Maplewood Township Committee recognized Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) and Transgender Awareness Week on Tuesday. TDOR is this Friday, November 20; Transgender Awareness Week goes from November 13-19.
“We are still today living in an epidemic of violence against transgendered persons, especially transgendered persons of color,” said Deputy Mayor Dean Dafis. “We have to do everything we can to raise awareness, fight back against hate, and honor those who we have lost.” He reflected that in Maplewood, “we take pride that we all believe in the safety and prosperity, equality and hope [of] all who live and work in our town, and we recognize the human rights of all citizens and support an end to all forms of prejudice, discrimination, and violence.”
TDOR was started in 1999 by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester. Hester was killed in 1998. Trans people are still victims of homicide in the U.S., and victims are overwhelmingly people of color. The Human Rights Campaign points out that this violence occurs “at the intersections of racism, sexism, and transphobia.”
Board of Ed member Shannon Cuttle shared a message to trans and non-binary youth and their families: “that you are valued; that you and your identity are validated; you matter, you are loved, and you are not alone, today and every day. To those that came before us: we thank you, and we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors. And for those that are coming up underneath us, and will continue [to] take on these reins: we empower you, we thank you, and we are behind you 100%.”
Shannon Cuttle speaks to the TC and to trans and non-binary youth
Cuttle continued to say that unfortunately, “2020 has been a challenging year for the transgender and non-binary community.” They cited the highest rates of anti-trans/non-binary violence ever, saying that those communities “need support now more than ever.” Cuttle invited McGehee and TC to honor the names of those we have lost to trans violence in 2020. “We say their names not just in remembrance, but…to light the path, and also to say their names in power.”
Globally, over 300 trans people have been lost to violence this year. Cuttle and Dafis read the list of those who have been lost in the U.S.:
- 28 Sep 2020, Mia Green, 29, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 19 Sep 2020, Aerrion Burnett, 37, Independence, Missouri
- 15 Sep 2020, Gia Valentina Romualdo Rodríguez, 46, Miami, Florida
- 7 Sep 2020, Isabella Mia Lofton, 21, Brooklyn, New York
- 31 Aug 2020, Elie Che, 23, The Bronx, New York
- 26 Aug 2020, Shelley Lynn Rose, 16
- 13 Aug 2020, Kee Sam, 24, Lafayette, Louisiana
- 28 Jul 2020, Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears (“Rocky Rhone”), 32, Portland, Oregon
- 27 Jul 2020, Queasha Hardy, 24, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 26 Jul 2020, Tiffany Harris (“Dior H Ova”), 32, The Bronx, New York
- 13 Jul 2020, Marilyn Monroe Cazares, 22, Brawley, California
- 6 Jul 2020, Angela Martinez Gómez, 42, Santa Monica, California
- 4 Jul 2020, Summer Taylor, 24, Seattle, Washington
- 3 Jul 2020, Bree Black, 27, Pompano Beach, Florida
- 1 Jul 2020, Shaki Peters, 32, Amite City, Louisiana
- 30 Jun 2020, Draya McCarty, 28, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 30 Jun 2020, Merci Mack, 22, Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas
- 30 Jun 2020, Tatiana Hall, 22, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 25 Jun 2020, Brayla Stone, 17, Sherwood, Arkansas
- 13 Jun 2020, Brian Powers (“Eagle”), , Akron, Ohio
- 9 Jun 2020, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, 27, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 9 Jun 2020, Riah Milton, 25, Liberty Township, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 6 Jun 2020, Name Unknown, 16-20, Chicago, Illinois
- 31 May 2020, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois
- 27 May 2020, Tony McDade, 38, Tallahassee, Florida
- 9 May 2020, Jayne Thompson, 33, Orchard Mesa, Colorado
- 6 May 2020, Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas
- 3 May 2020, Nina Pop, 28, Sikeston, Missouri
- 11 Apr 2020, Johanna Metzger, , Baltimore, Maryland
- 3 Apr 2020, Henrietta Robinson, 79, Miami, Florida
- 1 Apr 2020, Ashley Moore, 26, Newark, New Jersey
- 30 Mar 2020, Lorena Borjas, 59, Queens, New York
- 28 Mar 2020, Lexi “Ebony” Sutton, 33, Harlem, New York
- 18 Mar 2020, Monica Diamond, 34, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 12 Mar 2020, John Scott Devore/Scottlyn Kelly Devore, 51, Augusta, Georgia
- 21 Feb 2020, Camila María Concepción, 28, Los Angeles, California
- 4 Jan 2020, Alex McCray, 22, St. Louis, Missouri
- 1 Jan 2020, Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma
- 29 Dec 2019, Mia Penny, 26, Washington, D.C.
- 19 Dec 2019, Yahira Nesby, 33, Brooklyn, New York
- 18 Dec 2019, Alice Carter (“Baby Alice”), 35, Washington, D. C.
- 10 Dec 2019, Angel Rose Garcia, 21, Hyattsville, Maryland
- 7 Dec 2019, Nikki Kuhnhausen, 17, Larch Mountain, Oregon
- 14 Oct 2019, Brianna “BB” Hill, 30, Kansas City, Missouri
- 11 Oct 2019, Daphne Dorman, 44, San Francisco, California
- 10 Oct 2019, Christine Zephier, 23, Mankato, Minnesota
- 6 Oct 2019, Corbin Ray Bach, 23, Paducah, Kentucky
“The most powerful thing we can do is to say their names,” finished Dafis. “Lost to violence, but not forgotten. We honor them, we honor all those that they’ve lost, and we vow to do better, to grow closer together, and to stop this violence from continuing.”
