A few dozen transgender leaders, joined by other LGBTQ+ officials, honored those in the community who have lost their lives during a ceremony Wednesday at City Hall.
The gathering was in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual day of observance that started in 1999 following the murder of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman in Boston.
The community leaders mourned the 36 transgender people who were killed in violence since last year’s TDOR, and recognized efforts to find those who have gone missing, including Taylor Casey, a 42-year-old Black trans woman from Chicago who has been missing since June 20.
“It is our job to uplift their names and continue to fight for the justice and dignity that we all deserve,” said Zahara Bassett, CEO and founder of Life is Work, a Black-, Brown– and trans-led social services organization on the West Side.
So far in 2024, at least 30 transgender people have been killed in the U.S., according to data collected by the Human Rights Campaign. Among them is Red, also known as Barbie by her friends, who was fatally shot Sept. 8 on Chicago’s West Side.
Globally, at least 350 transgender people have been killed so far in 2024, according to a report from Transgender Europe and Central Asia. These numbers are likely underestimated because oftentimes, the murders of transgender people go unreported or misreported.
The majority of these deaths have occurred among Black and Brown transgender women.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance is a time for reflection,” said Maya Lozano, who works at the Trans Chicago Empowerment Center at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. “Today encourages us to stop and reflect … on the abuse that many of us face in our attempts to live our everyday lives. But it’s also meant to spark trans advocacy, support and changes across the U.S.”
Other community groups in attendance included the Chicago Therapy Collective, Brave Space Alliance, the TransLatin@ Coalition, TaskForce Prevention and Community Services and Getting to Zero.
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd Ward), who hosted the gathering, said the network of organizations present for Transgender Day of Remembrance “represent some of the many expressions of solidarity and community care that help [her] organize to support people in need.”
Rodriguez plans to introduce a resolution at the December City Council meeting recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance and the various community organizations serving trans people in Chicago.
The resolution will also affirm City Council’s commitment to working with these organizations to raise awareness about the challenges transgender people face and take action to support the community.
“It is my hope that this resolution helps bring more people together, connect more people to life-saving resources and further educate the public and elected leaders about the need for legislation that promotes inclusivity, equity and safety for transgender people,” Rodriguez said.
Other elected officials in attendance included Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward), who is vice chair of City Council’s LGBT Caucus, and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward).
The community leaders also spoke about the potential threats facing the transgender community in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Trump campaigned heavily on anti-trans attacks, spending millions of dollars on advertisements scapegoating the transgender community in efforts to rally his base. The advertisements, which aired during football and baseball games and in swing states across the country, claimed opponent Kamala Harris would let “biological men” compete in women’s sports and contained messages like “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
The former president’s campaign platform also promises to cut federal funding for schools that teach “radical gender ideology and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.”
Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, said one of the most immediate concerns is defending access to trans-affirming healthcare, which could be threatened by Trump’s promise to rearrange the Department of Health and Human Services.
“There’s a strong possibility that our care will be completely dismantled,” Parker said. “And knowing that Trump has had a considerable amount of time to revise what his tactics are to make them more stealthy and efficient, we’re very afraid that he may deliver on some of those promises this go around.”
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, who just made history as the first Black transgender woman elected in Cook County, offered a rallying cry to the transgender leaders and allies present at the City Hall gathering.
Brady-Davis led the crowd in chants of “When trans people are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” before speaking of the dangers a second Trump presidency could pose for the community.
“I want to tell you this morning that we as trans people are part of democracy too,” Brady-Davis said. “We are part of the American Dream. We deserve adequate housing, equal opportunity to employment and the opportunity to walk down the street safely without experiencing rates of violence.”