There is so much going on this week for such a short work week for most people. First and foremost, today is Transgender Day Of Remembrance. In 1998, a transgender woman named Rita Hester was murdered in Massachusetts–a crime that remains unsolved. It was in Rita’s honor that Gwen Smith of San Francisco began a tradition of taking a day to reflect upon the lives lost to hate violence, which is today known as the Transgender Day of Remembrance first celebrated November 20. 1999. We should all pause in this week of Thanksgiving to remember those whose lives were cut short due to hate and prejudice. Without the strength and valor of the Transgendered community, who first stood up for our rights at Stonewall in 1969, we would not be as far along as we are in the fight for equality. This Topix forum has a listing of all the Transgendered persons murdered in the US since 1970 simply for who they were. I have always contended that the Transgendered are the bravest among us just for living their lives as who they are not who the world thinks they should be. It takes more courage than what I have to live true to their gender identity in a world where there are so many who would deprive them of that right. From Rita Hester to Gwen Araujo and all those in between, let us never forget.
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