Great job Emma Latta for speaking at the Evansville Transgender Day of Remembrance event, the 9th annual vigil organized by the Tri-State Alliance. Emma chaired the 2021 Owensboro Pride Picnic, is a TSA Youth Group Adult Facilitator, and a Trans Activist who lives in Owensboro. Here is a copy of her prepared remarks:
Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed annually on November 20 to memorialize those lives lost to anti-transgender violence and to shine a light on the persistence of anti-transgender violence. Founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith after the murder of Rita Hester in Massachusetts, Trans Day of Remembrance has grown significantly into an international day of action, awareness, and community.
This year the number of transgender and nonbinary people lost to anti- transgender violence is the highest on record in the United States. So far, AT LEAST 45 transgender or nonbinary people have been killed. This number is likely higher, as many killings of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are incorrectly reported or underreported.
As is too often the case in the reporting of anti-transgender violence, many of these victims are misgendered in local police statements and in media reports, which can affect the accuracy of reporting these deaths.
In 2019, the American Medical Association stated that violence targeted at transgender people reached EPIDEMIC proportions. In 2021, the record- breaking violence is compounded by the ongoing effects of the pandemic, racially motivated violence, and the most dangerous legislative season for anti-transgender bills across the county.
The atmosphere here in Evansville, Owensboro, Southern Illinois, and surrounding communities is by far too often hostile to the transgender and gender non-conforming communities. In our 3-state region, Illinois is the only state that has non-discrimination laws for our community. In our region, Evansville is the only community in Southwestern Indiana and Henderson the only community in Northwestern Kentucky that have inclusive civil rights protections in their local ordinances.
Schools are also not a safe environment for our local LGBT communities. In Evansville, the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation added sexual orientation but NOT gender identity to its non-discrimination policy. Students and young people do not feel safe in their local schools. Schools that do not have district-wide policies to protect ALL students, faculty and staff. This type of EXCLUSION is both intentional and dangerous.
To quote Mother Jones, we need to “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” Tonight, we remember and mourn the dead. But we also have to continue to FIGHT to make our local community and our region a safer place for all people, especially the transgender and gender non-conforming communities.
Tonight, we remember those we have lost to anti-transgender violence. But we also NEED to remain committed to creating a safer atmosphere for the Transgender communities. We continue to ask for support of the TSA Youth Group which serves LGBTQ youth throughout our region...with most of the youth who attend being transgender or gender-nonconforming youth. And we need to continue to support the TSA Transgender Support Group that meets every Sunday afternoon...the only regional support group for the transgender community.
But first, TONIGHT we honor those we have lost to violence and we say their names.
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