This last weekend, Joe Biden became the first president-elect in U.S. history to reference our Transgender community in a victory speech. The moment was a much needed and celebrated reprieve, representing a stark contrast to the last four years of policy under the current administration. Our community has hope once again.
Over the last four years, the FBI has reported a dramatic rise in hate crime targeting the LGBTQ community. While the largest number of reported LGBTQ victims has been gay men, these acts of violence have disproportionately target transgender and BIPOC folks, especially Black transgender women. The year is not over and 2020 is already the deadliest year on record for our trans community.
Next week is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). While this year’s event will be held virtually, TDOR is time for us to gather as community to honor the lives of those lost to anti-trans violence. We have to do better than mourning our dead. Our community deserves leadership that uplifts our trans community.
While the incoming administration has pledged to support our transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay community, our work is not done. We must continue to organize and educate ourselves as individuals, our own community, and the broader community at-large if we are to hold our leaders accountable to promises they are making to us. We deserve life, liberty, and justice.
As we all take time to reflect on those we’ve lost, we must also recommit ourselves to the hard and necessary work to create the change we hope to see. We must all be active participants in pursuit of justice. That is how, Together We Rise.
P.S. Over the next week, there will be five altars in San Diego honoring those lost and a Trans Day of Remembrance virtual event on Friday, November 20. More info here.
Fernando Lopez is the Executive Director of San Diego Pride. Lopez’s years of LGBT advocacy, nonprofit management, public education, diversity consulting, media relations, guest lectures, and organizing have made them a consistent presence ensuring the struggles of the LGBT community are ever visible.
