Thursday, Nov. 20, marks the fifth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, and the second year the event has been held in San Diego. The Center and the San Diego Transgender Coalition are commemorating the day with a march at 6:30 p.m., followed by a remembrance ceremony at 7:15 p.m.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1998 with a web project called “Remembering Our Dead” to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was murdered in November of that year. The web project compiles a list of transgender murders around the world to emphasize how widespread hate crimes towards transgender individuals are, and to link people to other transgender resources. Hester’s murder prompted a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999 that developed into the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance in dozens of cities across the world.

The event was first held in San Diego last year, and was coordinated by The Center and several other local groups. This year, the San Diego Transgender Coalition is helping The Center coordinate the event. The Transgender Coalition was started in February 2003, and continues to advocate for transgender rights in San Diego.

Amanda Watson is one of the founders of the San Diego Transgender Coalition, and founder of the local Helping Others Transition (H.O.T.) Project, which hosts the Transgender Day of Remembrance information on its web site. The H.O.T. Project is an information and resource network that provides links for transgendered people, or anyone affected by transgender issues. The main goal is to connect those considering transitioning to any level of transgender existence — whether cross-dressing, transgender or transsexual status — as well as their significant others, to safe and professional resources.

According to Watson, there have been nine documented transgender murders in San Diego since the 1970s. This year, there have been no cases reported in San Diego, and one case in California.

“The march is for people to get together and walk, and remember these people’s lives,” said Watson. “We will probably have signs … to say, ‘We haven’t forgotten these people,’ and then hopefully draw a crowd back to The Center for the remembrance ceremony.”

Every year, the Day of Remembrance includes a memorial ceremony where the names are read of all the lives lost, internationally, to anti-transgender violence since the previous Nov. 20. This year there will be 35 names read.

Beyond mourning and honoring the lives lost to anti-transgender violence, Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to raise public awareness of specifically anti-transgender hate crimes and enhance exposure in the media, which has traditionally treated these crimes with indifference.

“Indifference, improper pronouns, at times disrespectful, using wrong names or mixed names,” explained Watson. “It’s very rare to see a written article or video presentation where proper pronouns are used throughout the entire presentation.”

According to the Remembering Our Dead web site, one person is killed by anti-transgender violence every month. Since August 2003, there have been 20 reported deaths due to anti-transgender violence internationally. The web site brings up the point that violence based on gender variance does not solely affect transgender individuals — anyone who is perceived to be crossing gender lines can become a victim. Anti-transgender violence can affect anyone.

Recent murders include Bella Evangelista and Emonie Kiera Spaulding, both of Washington, D.C., who were murdered in August 2003 in separate incidents. Also in August 2003, Cassandra “Tula” Do was found strangled to death in her apartment in Ontario, Canada, and Enrico Taglialatela was found burned to death in Napoli, Italy. “Sindy” Cuarda was shot multiple times in the driveway of a business in San Pablo, California, in September. In October, Adrian Torres de Assuncaov was bludgeoned to death and dumped on the side of the road in Brescia, Italy, and Erika Johana was found bludgeoned to death in Rome a few days later.

“I think there may be some police indifference,” said Watson. “Thankfully in San Diego we have a police team that goes through diversity training and is willing to work. I think it’s also a human dignity value. Transgender people are still looked at as kind of less than normal.… Hopefully through events like this it will get better. It’s a very slow process.”

The march begins at 6:30 p.m. at The Center and continues along University Ave to Sixth Ave., then returns to The Center for a remembrance ceremony and memorial presentation at 7:15 p.m.

The event is sponsored by The Center, The San Diego Transgender Coalition, San Diego TransFamily, Transpire, Dawn Media, The H.O.T. Project, the Imperial Court de San Diego and Claire de Lune Coffee Lounge. For further information, call Amanda Watson of the H.O.T. Project at (619) 819-5007, or visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com and click on this article for links to transgender resources.