APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The orange glow of dozens of candles lit up Houdini Plaza Wednesday night in honor of ‘Trans Day of Remembrance.’
“Trans youth and trans adults who feel like they have nothing left I’m hoping they can see us and see that they have people that they can come to,” said Drew Thibodeaux who is on the education and research committee for Hate Free Outagamie.
‘Trans Day of Remembrance’ began in 1999 to honor Rita Hester a trans woman who was murdered in Massachusetts the year before. It’s observed every year on Nov. 20 as a way to honor those who have died and show solidarity towards the trans community.
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According to the Human Rights Campaign, 36 transgender individuals have been murdered since the last ‘Trans Day of Remembrance.’ At the event Wednesday night at Houdini Plaza, an organizer read out all of these names in a solemn ceremony while attendees held candles.
Research from UCLA’s Williams Institute estimates that approximately 1.6 million people 13 and older identify as transgender in the United States. Researchers from the school also found that transgender individuals are about four times more likely than their cisgender counterparts to become victims of violence.
“Trans youth and trans adults who feel like they have nothing left I’m hoping they can see us and see that they have people that they can come to,” said Thibodeaux.
It was a solemn event, but organizers said they hoped people who attended left feeling something else.
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“But I also know that there will be hope because people are coming together and saying that we are standing with our trans siblings and we have the ability to do something,” said the Rev. Hannah Roberts Villnave who works for Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church in Appleton. “So there will be tears and sadness, but there will also be hope to build the kind of community we need.”
Speakers at the event said the LGBTQ community is very deeply concerned about the incoming Trump administration and believes they will roll back their rights. They also expressed frustrations with the Biden administration saying Democrats haven’t done enough to protect them the last four years.
The speakers also announced a call to action to the community. They said they’re currently collecting petitions to make Outagamie County a ‘trans sanctuary’ which organizers said would create a safe haven for trans individuals and their families amidst increasing anti-trans legislation.
“I want it to be loud and clear that trans people and nonbinary people are welcome here in our community and that they matter and their futures, their dreams are worth fighting for,” said Roberts Villnave.
