A silent vigil was held outside San Jose City Hall on Friday to remember the transgender and gender-nonconforming lives lost due to anti-transgender violence.
Sera Fernando, the chief diversity officer of Silicon Valley Pride, an LGBTQ+ community organization serving the Santa Clara County region, organized the event.
Community members gathered in front of City Hall throughout the evening with flowers and were encouraged to write notes to victims who have died.
Transgender Awareness Week was held from Nov. 13-19, leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, which is observed annually worldwide to honor the memory of transgender people who were killed by transphobic people.
Fernando, who is a San Jose State alumna, said there must be more public attention toward the epidemic of hate and violence against the transgender community.
“I remember holding a rally in June and speaking to the crowd about how at the time there were around 11 trans folks that were murdered,” Fernando said. “Now we’re in November and it has swelled up to 37.”
This year has been the deadliest year for transgender lives so far since the transgender death toll record began in 2013, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a political lobbying and advocacy organization.
There have been 37 deaths recorded so far in 2020 within the U.S. and its territories, but reporting hate crimes to the FBI is not mandatory, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The organization suspects that the statistics are actually much higher and said transgender individuals are likely to be misgendered at death.
“Transgender deaths are underreported and often completely left out of public view,” Fernando said. “It is difficult to even find records for most cases and [the victims] are not always accurately identified.”
Fernando explained the need for intersectionality within social movements like Black Lives Matter while also including the most marginalized and underserved communities.
According to an Oct. 28 Human Rights Campaign news release, transphobic crimes disproportionately impact Black and brown transgender women of color who make up about 4 out of 5 of all anti-transgender homicides.
Vibrant artwork was displayed outside City Hall, including posters and chalk messages promoting intersectionality and inclusion. Fernando said all the artwork this year was made by queer artists from various organizations like San Jose Strong, a grassroots organization dedicated to reinventing the San Jose community.
Saldy Suriben, chief marketing officer for Silicon Valley Pride, said the day was meant to be peaceful and accessible for everyone to attend.
“Today’s a day of compassion and empathy and a call to action,” Suriben said.
Fernando said the vigil was also used as a platform to display the artwork to the public and give people the opportunity to donate directly to queer artists.
Lee Gomez, a 2020 SJSU alumnus, said the vigil was an appropriate way to reflect and dedicate a moment to remember each individual’s story.
“It’s the individuals job to really take initiative to learn and to go outside of their usual perspective to learn these things, but it’s really up to each person to do their part,” Gomez said.
The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was in 1999 after the tragic death of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was stabbed 20 times in 1998, according to GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ media organization. Hester’s death sparked the annual international movement to remember transgender lives.
“It’s important now to dedicate a moment,” Gomez said. “They may not have had the media coverage or even the proper attention during their lives. Recognizing and respecting transhumanity is not too much to be asked.”
Fernando said the vigil was organized outside of City Hall instead of at an LGBTQ+ space to bring more awareness to the lives affected and to make it accessible for community members.
“The vigil is set up for anybody to just walk through and just see and really develop compassion and empathy,” Fernando said. “We encourage everyone to come to our events, honor and uplift our LGBTQ+ community like they deserve.”
