Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is the 13th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day when we remember trans people who have been victims of homicide. The event wa...

As a lifelong LGBT ally and friend, I feel it is my duty to not only apologize for my wrong but to also correct it. The word "tr*nny" is a derogatory and hurtful word. I was completely ignorant to this. This is a word I will no longer use or allow.

K-12 schools and colleges must take the lead in recognizing and educating about gender diversity. They must implement nondiscrimination policies inclusive of gender identity and expression to protect transgender youth.

On Nov. 20 we grieve the deaths and memorialize and celebrate the lives of persons who have died at the hands of those whose hatred and prejudice toward transgender people has led to acts of unspeakable violence.

How could a 17-year-old trans woman from a town just 30 miles from San Francisco, America's queer holy land, be murdered and buried in a shallow grave by the side of the road by her supposed peers?

Every Transgender Day of Remembrance, I wonder how many more transgender people will have to be murdered in acts of hate-fueled violence before the politicians finally get it.

We dishonor the memories of all those trans people before us who have lost their lives if we don't find our own ways to fight back. If each of us doesn't find our own way to fight this war against us, we surely will lose.

There are many organizations that espouse to support the transgender community, but in light of Shelley Hilliard's charred torso, the actual amount of money and human resources that most LGBT organizations devote to transgender services is insulting.