They marched and they chanted. They were seen and they were heard.
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) in Wilton Manors was a mix of anger, fear and relentless determination. Trans folk are being increasingly marginalized. Former and future president Donald Trump used trans hate to win reelection.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been scoring political points on the backs of trans adults and youth for years.
Everyone at TDoR knew the situation will get worse before it gets better.
“It’s important to honor those folks who have been murdered by the state in any way. Whether it’s state-sanctioned violence or at the hands of someone who is transphobic,” said Star, who is the Prevention and Community Outreach Coordinator for SunServe.
The event began at Justin Flippen Park with about 50 people as members of the South Florida Pride Band played LGBTQ favorites from artists including Lady Gaga and Abba.
From there they marched down Wilton Drive to Five Points, then to the Pride Center on Dixie Hwy. They, along with about 200 others, perused the catered buffet and bar while music played.
On the outdoor stage were the names and photographs of 40 trans people murdered in the U.S. over the past 12 months. These are the hate crimes we know of. Due to deadnaming and family shame, the true number of hate crime victims is much higher.
The program included songs and spoken-word performances, as well as moving stories from trans folk themselves.
Local icon Misty Eyez, Director of Transition Services at SunServe, took the podium with a sobering perspective.
“This year has been a very tough year. I’ve had three clients detransition or pause their transition because of the election.”
She also said two of the trans lives lost this year were clients at SunServe.
This is the 26th TDoR, and the number of victims, people killed for simply trying to live their lives, keeps growing. The sad reality is that this group will be back next year for the 27th TDoR, and the list of names will likely be longer than ever.
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