The St. Thomas Queer Straight Alliance and the LGBTQ Staff and Faculty Association jointly held a candlelit vigil at Iversen Center for Faith on Friday, Nov. 18 in honor of Trans Day of Remembrance.
Trans Day of Remembrance was first observed in 1999 and was founded by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in honor of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was murdered in 1998. Since then, Trans Day of Remembrance has been held anually on Nov. 20 in honor of every transgender and gender-nonconforming people killed in the past year.
“It’s important to honor the trans community around us, including those who are just trying to live their lives,” senior and QSA Co-Vice President Renna Hintermeister said.
Thirty two transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals have been killed so far in 2022, according to the Human Rights Campaign. So, the vigil began with those in attendance reading the names of all 32 victims followed by a moment of silence.
The people in attendance also paid tribute to transgender people they know and appreciate in their lives as well as prominent transgender people, such as Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins, who is the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States.
Hintermeister was impressed by the turnout for the event despite cold and windy weather forcing the event inside, noting that staff members from the Center for Well-Being and Campus Ministries were in attendance.
“Visibility is important,” Hintermeister said.
The message of the event was one of solidarity with the transgender community, both at St Thomas, where Hintermeister claims students have been misgendered by professors, and elsewhere.
This event came as various states have enacted laws to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender individuals, the discussion of LGBTQ-related topics in schools and the recent LGBT night club shooting in Colorado Springs.
“Trans people are part of every area of our community, and trans lives matter” Arden Ashley-Wurtmann, a member of the LGBTQ Staff and Faculty Association, said.
Miles Schifer can be reached at schi9629@stthomas.edu.