Transmissions: A lot of our friends are being killed

Published 11/15/2012
by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=68272\

A pool reporter at the event did not catch what Bourne said to Biden, but we do know that Biden replied to her, saying that it was "the civil rights issue of our time." Bourne made it clear afterward that what she asked of Biden was help for her daughter and others like her.

Her daughter is Lorelei Erisis – Miss Trans Northampton/New England 2009.

"A lot of my friends are being killed, and they don't have the civil rights yet," said Bourne. "These guys are gonna make that happen."

The story flew largely under the political radar, buried under news of Hurricane Sandy. For me, of course, this was a very big thing. This was the sitting vice president of the United States, in the midst of a heated political campaign, who publicly pointed out the need to tackle transgender discrimination.

Now, Vice President Biden is re-elected.

Just two short weeks after the election is the 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. I founded the event way back then to help create a sense of history within the transgender community, and as a way to point out just how prevalent anti-transgender violence is in our world.