Transgender people united by stories, not bound by tragedy

[Natasha]

Transgender people united by stories, not bound by tragedy

http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/676117.html
11/28/2008

Last Thursday marked the 10th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDOR as organizers call it. Held every November, TDOR is a day to remember the individuals who have been victimized because of transgender-motivated hatred.

While this day has traditionally been one to mourn lost community members, it has grown to encompass so much more.

As a transgender man who grew up in Nebraska, the day has special significance for me. Many people have seen the film "Boys Don't Cry" about Brandon Teena, a 21-year-old transgender Nebraskan who was brutally murdered along with two other people in late 1993. A teenager at the time, I remember hearing the disturbing news about Brandon's murder just a few counties away.