Today, 20 November 2007, is the ninth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance - an international day set aside to memorialise those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. This year's Day of Remembrance was marked in New Zealand with a low-key event in Wellington's Civic Square early on Sunday, and a small vigil to be held in Auckland tonight. "A few of us planted crosses from all the trans people who had been murdered since we started counting in 1970, and then took a moment to remember the eleven who had been murdered this year," says Wellington event attendee Jaimie Veale. Transgender support organisation Agender president Claudia McKay spoke about the discrimination transgender people still face: "Although the number of murders of transgender people appears to be declining, any hate crimes are unacceptable." A Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil is planned this evening in the Auckland office of OUTline. Tom Hamilton of GenderBridge says similar events have been held in Wellington since 2004, and Auckland since 2005. "The aim of the vigil is to raise public awareness and to curb the violence occurring to trans people," he explains. "For some of us it is a time to commemorate the lives of our loved ones who have been murdered or who have died due to neglect or abuse of some kind. Unfortunately every year, around the world, the list of names increases." All are welcome at tonight's vigil - 7pm at OUTline NZ, 2nd Floor, 37 Anzac Avenue, Auckland.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 20th November 2007 - 2:43pm