Transgender Day of Remembrance

“Transgender Day of Remembrance” services in Bloomington, Indiana, are being hosted by the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) at Indiana University and IU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services (GLBTSSS). This is the eleventh annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). This day (November 17) is being set aside to memorialize those people who have died due to violence and hate crimes inflicted upon them by others who took exception to their gender expression. The students and organizers would like to draw the attention of IU administrators and local officials to the social environment that transgender people face every day—an environment of oppression similar to that faced by African-Americans in the Jim Crow era— including lynching.

All day November 16 and 17 (Monday and Tuesday) we plan to have a graveyard of the 119 transgender-based murder victims’ names from the past year in the grass on the east side of Dunn Meadow near the IMU steps and signs around Dunn Meadow listing the names of the 245 known dead from the past ten years with the city, date and cause of death for each.

The main event is scheduled to begin in the Fine Arts Auditorium (FA 015) at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, November 17, where five leaders will speak for about 45 minutes total. The scheduled speakers are:
1. Dr. Aren Aizura, Visiting Lecturer of Gender Studies, Indiana University
2. Beverly Calender-Anderson, Safe and Civil City Director, City of Bloomington
3. Chris Kase, President, National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals at Indiana University (http://www.noglstp.net/iu/chris-kase-bio)
4. Dr. Karen Hanson, Provost and Executive Vice President, Indiana University Bloomington (http://www.iub.edu/provost/bio.shtml)
5. Kay Johnson, National Board Member, National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (http://www.noglstp.net/iu/kay-johnson-bio)

After the speakers on Tuesday, we plan to have a funeral procession with pall bearers and a casket leave the Fine Arts Building to arrive at the tombstone plots around 7:00 pm on November 17 where we will conclude by reading each of the 119 names. Everyone is welcome at all of our TDOR events.

The day before, on Monday, November 16, we plan to show a movie, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria, in the Fine Arts auditorium (FA 015) at 7:00 pm. This award winning PBS documentary (about a 1966 riot in San Francisco where a group of transgender women fought back for the first time in history against everyday police harassment) was co-produced and narrated by Dr. Susan Stryker, Associate Professor in Gender Studies at Indiana University, who will provide a statement at our presentation.

We hope you attend these events and that you encourage your friends and colleagues to attend as well. It is important to remember that this day is not only a day for action, but also a day for education and for people who do not identify as transgender to become an ally and stand up for the rights of individuals who have been the victim of harassment, bullying and name calling because of their gender identity and/or gender expression. Your visible support helps send a message denouncing violence, hate-crimes and murder of transgenders. We expect this event to be of great value in raising the awareness of University officials and community members to help improve the climate for transgenders (and all queer persons) in Bloomington.

You can learn more about Transgender Day of Remembrance by visiting http://www.transgenderdor.org/ .
To learn more the movie visit http://www.screamingqueensmovie.com/index.php
or about NOGLSTP at IU visit http://www.noglstp.net/iu/.