Sunday, November 20, 2005

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Several commenters had already added thoughtful comments to tc's question "Is this going to turn into a religious blog?", when I wrote the following...

This blog is like a potluck...we share what we have to offer, and we sample what appeals to us. Just like at a real life potluck, you are always welcome to pass over the dishes that don't appeal to you. But it's worth remembering that labor and love have gone into those dishes as well. It's always best to decline politely with that in mind.

Just now I saw jc's comment, "This is one of the covered dishes that I put on my plate to be polite, cover with my napkin and smile, because I like Oscar and I'm glad he's here." I like that. I then went to check out her link Fun With Words, which included the bumper sticker "I support gay rites". And that's what reminded me to look up something I first heard about today in church. Yes, the introduction to this link has as many twists and turns as the beginning of a Simpsons episode, but we're here now. It is another topic that makes some people uncomfortable, but it's important to know about these things so that we can work to challenge the hatred that exists in our culture and motivates these acts of violence.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in dozens of cities across the world.

Click to learn more.

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