Joining with over 100 cities across the world, The LGBTQ Center Long Beach will be holding an event to recognize the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Taking place every November 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance memorializes the hundreds of transgender people lost to anti-transgender violence over the last year. Co-sponsored by The LGBTQ Center Long Beach and the First District of Long Beach, this year’s event will start at 6:30 PM at Harvey Milk Promenade Park, the first park in the United States named after the slain LGBTQ-rights advocate.
The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was held in 1999 to honor transgender murder victim Rita Hester whose case has yet to be solved. This year’s event will feature acclaimed singer Jaila Simms, remarks from several staff members of The Center, information available services to the transgender community in Long Beach, and a reading of names of transgender people murdered in the last year. Beverages and pastries will be available to all attendees and all-gender restrooms will be available at Hamburger Mary’s and Groundwork Fitness.
According to the latest Hate Crimes Report from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, 92% of hate crimes targeting transgender people were violent, and 92% of these hate crimes targeted transgender women. In the last year, transgender people have been under assault by the federal government, most recently by the Department of Health and Human Services which has moved to remove protections from discrimination in healthcare.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will take place Wednesday, November 20 at 6:30 PM at Harvey Milk Promenade Park (3rd and Promenade). The Transgender Day of Remembrance is free and open to the public and fully accessible with on site ASL interpretation. This year’s event is hosted will be hosted with the in-kind support of the Office of Mayor Robert Garcia, Berlin by Portfolio Coffeehouse, Century Villages at Cabrillo, and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California.
For more information contact The Center at 562.434.4455 or visit www.centerlb.org
