In Honor of our Fallen Brothers and Sisters
Filed by: Kelley Winters
November 21, 2010 1:00 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/in_honor_of_our_fallen_brothers_and_sisters.phpExcerpted from the Denver Transgender Day of Remembrance Observance, Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, Colorado, on November 20.
Tonight, we gather once again on this Twelfth International Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor those who lost their lives to hatred and violence. We remember, we mourn, those who were murdered this past year, because their gender identities or expression were judged to differ from stereotypes of their assigned birth sex. This annual Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Smith in 1998 and is observed each November 20. Tonight, more than 200 communities around the world are joining us in observing this solemn anniversary.
I thank all of you for taking time to be with us this evening, so that we might share our support and love for each other, our grief for our dead, our terror at this violent onslaught, and yes, our outrage.
We are also gathered tonight to honor the living, to celebrate the tenacity and courage of all who have overcome barriers of intolerance to live authentic lives, to simply be ourselves in the face of such adversity and danger.
