Residents gather to remember those killed in anti-transgender violence.
November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance. People in Palm Springs gathered at City Hall to remember those who have been killed in anti-transgender violence.
Speakers from the transgender community will be sharing their stories of hardship, hatred, harassment, and violence this evening.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was created in 1999 after a transgender woman in Boston was stabbed to death. Organizers say this is the first year a vigil like this is being held in Palm Springs.
According to the human rights campaign, this year across the country, at least 25 transgender people have been killed. Making it the deadliest year on record for transgender people. Most of the victims were people of color.
In 2016, at least 23 transgender people were killed.
At the event here in Palm Springs, organizers displayed a Transgender Day of Remembrance sculpture, which was inspired by the death of a transgender woman who was burned to death in Florida.
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“We are facing an epidemic of murders of transgender people and people getting killed for anti-transgender violence. It’s important to draw attention to this issue and not let these people die in vain,” said Gwen Smith, one of the founders of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Organizations across the Coachella Valley that support LGBT rights were also on-hand for the event.
