Transgender Day of Rememberance (Chicago)
Sunday, November 20, 2005
5:00 PM

Illinois Gender Advocates is sponsoring a candlelight vigil scheduled to begin at 5 P.M. on the evening of Sunday, November 20th, 2005, to honor the memory of the transgender and gender variant men and women throughout the world, as well as a man who came to their aid, who were killed during the preceding year on account of their gender expression. The vigil will be held in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at Roscoe & North Halsted, Chicago and will last approximately one hour.

The Day of Remembrance vigil is held in dozens of cities throughout the world in memory of those killed due to anti-transgender hate or prejudice. The vigil began in 1999 in memory of a Boston trans-woman, Rita Hester, who was brutally stabbed to death. The annual observance was organized by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a west-coast transgender activitist who maintains the Remembering Our Dead website.
(www.gender.org/remember)

Transgendered and gender variant individuals seem particularly vulnerable to hate crime and it is unfortunately still a real issue here in Chicago and the Midwest. In the period from November 2004 to July, 2005, 10 Americans who were murdered on account of gender expression-including Kasha Blue, who was stabbed to death this past summer here in Chicago. A total of 21 such murders occurred worldwide during this time. Of course, these figures only represent the cases that have been reported by the media. It is generally believed that countless other transgender murders have occurred, but have simply been ignored. These murders tend to be extremely violent and are frequently characterized by the "overkill" of multiple gunshot or stab wounds that are often associated with hate crimes.

IGA's Day of Remembrance vigil includes several prominent speakers from the City and from the LGBT community. Our keynote speaker is Bill Greaves, the City of Chicago's LGBT Community Liason and the minister is the Rev. Bradley Mickelson (New Spirit Community Church). Rick Garcia, Political Director of Equality Illinois, Casey Schwartz, Health Educator & TYRA Coordinator, Howard Brown Broadway Youth Center and Laura Valesquez, Victim Advocacy Coordinator, Center on Halsted, are our other featured speakers.

Everyone concerned about the level of violence perpetrated against the LGBT community is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Day of Remembrance
Candlelight Vigil in Memory of Trans Victims of Hate Crime Including Chicago's Kasha Blue, Murdered 6/18/05 Sunday, November 20th, 2005 Vigil will be held at Roscoe & Halsted (7/Eleven Parking Lot) At Dusk (approx. 5 to 6 PM) The Day of Remembrance is a world-wide annual vigil in memory of trans victims of hate crime. For more information, visit www.gender.org/remember/day/what.html & related pages.

Featured Speakers:
Rev. Bradley Mickelson, New Spirit Community Church, Oak Park Bill Greaves, Director/Community Liaison Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations Rick Garcia, Political Director, Equality Illinois Casey Schwartz, Health Educator, Howard Brown Health Center Broadway Youth Center, TYRA Coordinator Laura Velasquez, Victim Advocacy Coordinator, Center on Halsted/Horizons Diana Williamson, Chair, Illinois Gender Advocates Stevie Conlon, Vice Chair, Illinois Gender Advocates & President, Chicago Gender Society

Sponsored by Illinois Gender Advocates
www.genderadvocates.org

TYRA (Trans Youth Resources & Advocacy)
(A joint program between Illinois Gender Advocates & Howard Brown) Will be sponsoring an event from 7 to 10 PM at Ann Sather, 929 W. Belmont, immediately after the Vigil entitled:
Night of the Fallen Stars: A Celebration of Chicago's Transgender Community

The Night of the Fallen Stars is an event celebrating the Transgender community of Chicago and lives of transgender people and our innocent friends lost to gendered hate crimes. We remember, celebrate, and unite our community!


We gratefully acknowledge the support of Sidetrack, 7/Eleven and other community partners for this event.

Website

Event type: Lesbian, Support/Social Group, Youth, Local News, Youth, Lesbian

Please Note: Indicating that you are interested or going to this event does not necessarily guarantee admission. Refer to the event description for details about attending the event.

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