Dr. Lawrence stated, " It is as though they (the perpetrator) were trying to erase the Transgendered person from the face of the Earth." Dr. Lawrence emphasized, "We will not be erased, nor will we be silenced. We have always been here and will always be here."
The brutality of many of the murders cannot be over emphasized by Dr. Lawrence. The victim is not always a Transgendered individual. With prejudice against Transgendered persons being so violent, those close to a Transgendered person, or perceived as a Transgendered person, become a target of violence also. Of the cases from 2001, two were representative.
James Jerome Mack was one victim. Mack was not Transgendered but was the lover of a Transgendered woman. On January 21, 2001, he was beaten with beer bottles, sexually assaulted with a broom handle, strangled with an electrical cord, and then drowned in a bathtub. His body was then set on fire in a trashcan behind a church.
Willie Houston was not Transgendered but was a victim of anti-Transgendered and anti-Gay hate. On July 29, he was carrying his wife's purse and assisting a blind male when he was shot and killed for being perceived as transgendered.
Before passing the microphone to Vanessa Grandberry of the People of Color Against Aids Network (POCAAN) and Jana Ekdahl of the Ingersoll Gender Center, Dr. Lawrence noted that a disproportionate number of the Transgender Victims of Violence are also people of color and / or are financially impaired.
After touching dialogs given by Vanessa and Jana, members taking part in the observance approached the microphone one by one and voiced their feelings. Friends, acquaintances and loved ones spoke of sad and sometimes wrenching accounts. Some spoke of personal violence they had experienced but most spoke for those who could no longer speak for themselves. Some of the speakers were moved to tears as they recalled the lives of those who paid the ultimate price of hatred and violence. Many were moved to tears as they listened to the accounts, tears that blended in an ironic manner with the cold rainy weather.
Christine Landon spoke of Native American beliefs as they related to the Transgendered, noting that in some cultures the Transgendered are seen as special people; such is not the case in our western culture. Other points mentioned by some of the mourners cited the media's reluctance to cover Transgendered deaths as part of the problem. Even when the media does cover a death or violent act committed against a Transgendered person, too often the wrong names and improper pronouns are used in a mocking manner.
On closing the observance, Dr. Lawrence read the names, accompanied by a short narrative of the circumstances, surrounding the murder of each victim of Transgendered violence this year. As Dr. Lawrence read the accounts, each account reflected the same trademark of excessive violence, resulting in death, simply because the victim was Transgendered. Dr. Lawrence went on to state that this is the first observance of the National Day of Remembrance for Transgender Victims of Violence in Seattle, but not the last. Dr. Lawrence promised to return every year, to promote awareness and fight bigotry until it is no longer necessary to do so.
Gwen has promoted awareness not only through the National Day of remembrance but also through a website that memorializes the victims and provides educational information. The site can be visited at www.gender.org/remember/
[ Linda Simpson is a member of the board of directors of the Ingersoll Gender Center and is a Transgendered woman herself. The poster in the background of the speakers during the event was drawn by Linda's eight year old daughter, Allison. Inspired by the posters Linda was making for the observance, Allison was inspired to make a poster of her own.]
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