November 20th. Not many people will think twice of this day other than it being hump day. Did you know the November 20th is “National Child’s Day,” “National Absurdity Day,” and even “National Peanut Butter Fudge Day.” However, there is an even more important and underappreciated occasion on November 20th: Trans Day of Remembrance. 

At South, our LGBTQ+ students are represented through the club Gender & Sexuality Alliance. The club is run by seniors Beth Mutka and Sonya Rozenfeld. The Gender & Sexuality Alliance club’s purpose is to create a safe environment, provide representation, and spread awareness of the LGBTQ+ community at South. So dates like November 20th are very important to them. Beth Mutka expresses that “Someone is considered transgender when they don’t identify with the biological sex they were born with.”

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor our trans siblings who have lost their lives to anti-transgender discrimination and violence. Since the Human Rights Campaign published their most recent list, 26 transgender people in America have been murdered in 2019 alone. Last year, 26 transgender people were murdered in total, and most were young, black trans women. Anti-trans bias was clear in some cases; in others, these people’s trans status may have put them in more danger in other ways, such as forcing them into poverty, homelessness, unemployment, etc.

2017 had the highest recorded number of such deaths: 29 known people. Of course, it’s impossible to know how many went unrecorded, due to deaths that went unreported and instances where family members, journalists, and authorities ignored the person’s identity. This is a problem every year, meaning that too many names still go forgotten.

However on the day of Trans Remembrance, let’s honor the names of those who died being their true selves and standing up for what they believe in.

Known Names and Pronouns Of Those Killed in 2019:

Dana Martin, she/her

Jazzaline Ware, she/her

Ashanti Carmon, she/her 

Claire Legato, she/her

Muhlaysia Booker, she/her

Michelle “Tamika” Washington, she/her

Paris Cameron, she/her

Chynal Lindsey, she/her

Chanel Scurlock, she/her

Zoe Spears, she/her

Brooklyn Lindsey, she/her

Denali Berries Stuckey, she/her

Tracy Single, she/her

Bubba Walker, she/her

Kiki Fantroy, she/her

Jordan Cofer, he/him

Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe, she/her

Bailey Reeves, she/her

Bee Love Slater, she/her

Jamagio Jamar Berryman

Itali Marlowe, she/her

Brianna “BB” Hill, she/her

Johana “Joa” Medina, she/her

Layleen Polanco, she/her

While November 20th is the official Trans Day of Remembrance, it is still our job as people to be accepting, open and kind to others. If you would like more information about the Gender & Sexuality Alliance club, feel free to email Beth Mutka at [email protected] or Sonya Rozenfeld at [email protected].

Works Cited

Human Rights Campaign. “Violence Against the Transgender Community in 2019.” Human Rights Campaign, www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2019.

“A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in America in 2018.” Human Rights Campaign Foundations, 2018, assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/AntiTransViolence-2018Report-Final.pdf?_ga=2.212341075.675851094.1573598543-2005934217.1572902048.

“November National Days.” National Day Calendar, nationaldaycalendar.com/november/.