For those of you who are not up to date, we are about 3 weeks into Trans Awareness Month. Sunday, November 20th, Portland is recognizing Trans Day of Remembrance. This day is to commemorate those who were victims of transgendered related hate crimes.
Rita Hester was murdered on November 28th, 1998. Her murder started the “Remembering Our Dead” project, which in turn started the Trans Day of Remembrance. According to the TDOR website, more than one person per month, over the last decade, and eight people this year alone, have died due to transgender-based hate.
To help spread awareness, PSU’s Queer Resource Center is having an annual free vigil event. There will be a day of workshops and a march to honor Trans Day of Remembrance.
Saturday, November, 19th PSU will acknowledge and celebrate with a reading from Trans/Love ( An anthology of Trans writers celebrating radical sex/relationships beyond the gender binary). This year, the ‘shops will include an interactive health care panel with the PSU’s Health and Counseling Center.
There will also be a discussion about consent and sex/body positivety led by Tobi Hill-Myer and Smitty S. Buckler. Writing workshops facilitated by Cooper Lee Bombardier and Morty Diamond will include trans-narratives. The vigil includes a reading by Emi Koyama, with the names of those who have passed due to Trans violence.
The workshops will start at 11am Sunday November, 20th and the vigil will be held at 4pm. Following the vigil, there will be a voluntary procession from 6-7 pm to Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. They will be holding a public candlelight vigil from 7-8pm. Also, on Tuesday November 22nd, in SMSU 236, QRC (queer resource center) will be presenting “Beautiful Boxer”-a discussion of Trans athletes. For updates and more information about these events go to http://www.pdx.edu/dos/qrc .
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