By Mia Garcia, Staff Reporter
A quiet reverence filled the space of La Casita on Nov. 20 as Toros marked the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The Queer Cultural Resource Center co-sponsored the commemoration.
Gathered around small, colorful wooden altars, attendees read aloud the name of 29 transgender individuals who had been killed due to anti-transgender violence over the past year. With each name, the group responded with “presente” – a powerful affirmation that these lives would not be forgotten.
“Continuing to say the names of those that have passed away and honoring their legacy can inspire curiosity from people,” said Koatzin Kamil, the La Casita program coordinator. “And curiosity can lead to change.”
The Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Smith in 1999 to honor the life of Rita Hester, a transgender woman. On Nov. 28, 1998, Hester was murdered in her suburban Boston, Massachusetts, apartment. In the days that followed, local news media frequently misgendered Hester, referring to her as a man or by her former name (an act known as “deadnaming”).
Writing for the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate in 2014, Smith said transgender people were often “nameless victims” of violence. “Our killers would do their best to erase our existence from the world. And law enforcement, the media and others would continue the job.”
Transgender individuals from traditionally marginalized backgrounds experience disproportionately high rates of housing insecurity and poverty, making it harder to escape violence. In 2023, the Human Rights Campaign reported that 77 percent of those killed were people of color – the majority of whom were Black transgender women. Additionally, 40 percent of victims were misgendered or deadnamed by authorities or the media.
In addition to honoring the 29 people killed this year, organizers distributed pamphlets outlining contemporary challenges experienced by LGBTQ communities. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced by lawmakers across the United States in 2023.
“Voting, getting politically active, calling out your senators and your representatives is very instrumental,” said Sam Alvarez Chavarria, a third-year political science and women’s studies student. “You want people who represent you to fight for you.”
Osiris Brindis, a first-year child development student, told The Bulletin that she attended the vigil to feel more connected to people on campus from different backgrounds. As an ally, she wanted to learn how best to support her peers and shield them from harm.
“We’re all human beings at the end of the day, we all bleed the same blood,” Brindis said. “Be a support to anybody who’s trans – be respectful and keep that open mind.”
