Transgender Day of Remembrance: Honoring those wo have lost their lives to violence

Transgender people come from all walks of life, and HRC Foundation has estimated that there are more than 2 million of us across the United States. Sadly, at least 45 trans/non-binary people have been killed by violent means in the US this year. This is the highest rate of trans and gender non-conforming violent fatalities in recorded history. 

This Saturday, November 20, 2021, Pleasant Ridge’s St. Peter's United Church of Christ will host a Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual event that honors the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. According to their website, St. Peter’s UCC’s goal is to “promote love, peace, hope, and justice through a continuing program of thought-provoking public worship services, community activities, and social change projects.”

Every year, St. Peter's United Church of Christ has set out to create a day of remembrance for Greater Cincinnati individuals in the transgender community by displaying the names and faces of those whose lives were were violently lost. 

“We used to just display photos on poster board and wooden stakes,” says Reverend Derek Terry, lead pastor at St. Peter’s UCC. Rev. Terry also serves as the national board president of the Open and Affirming Coalition. “Hopefully, with the funds raised from our GoFundMe campaign, we can buy more permanent signs to pay tribute to those who we have lost.” 
 
The funds raised will enable the church  to purchase flags and order colored yard signs to name each person killed this year, while also using these items to install a public display of remembrance for all of the trans lives lost this year through March 2022, specifically through the Transgender Day of Visibility 2022, scheduled for March 31, 2022.

This weekend’s vigil is planned for noon on November 20, 2021 at St. Peter’s UCC, located at 6120 Ridge Avenue. To donate to St. Peter’s UCC’s GoFundMe Campaign, please go to https://gofund.me/8cc419b5. The fundraiser has reached more than $300 with a goal of $400.