Supporters gather for a candlelight vigil atSan Francisco Civic Center

Reflections on the Transgender Day of Remembrance March

21 November 2008
by Woo Wood

The TRANS:THRIVE offices at 815 Hyde Street were packed Thursday, November 21 as folks gathered to celebrate the 10th annual San Francisco Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). Organized in part by SF-TEAM and El/La Program Para Las Trans Latinas, a diverse selection of trans artists and community activists—including TDOR founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith, San Francisco Police Commission President Theresa Sparks, San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner Cecilia Chung, and Senator-Elect Mark Leno—showed their support in the quest to “end the silence and stop the violence” against the transgender community.

When I began exploring my transqueer identity about a year ago, I was also searching for a community. I came to TRANS:THRIVE to attend one of the Tuesday night FTM (female-to-male) Support Groups, still one of the only groups at TRANS:THRIVE geared specifically toward trans-masculine folks. Since it is very rare that trans men and trans women share spaces in San Francisco, I was touched by the wide representation of our communities filling that space—including trans-feminine, trans-masculine, and genderqueer folks, as well as people of color—and fortified by our collective calls to action.

Gwendolyn Ann Smith was originally scheduled to appear at an engagement in Baltimore, which would have prohibited her from attending this year’s TDOR. Unfortunately that engagement was cancelled, “but to tell you the truth, I’m glad to be here,” Gwen insisted, who hasn’t missed an SF TDOR yet. In light of the ten year anniversary, Gwen spoke about the very first candlelight vigil on a rainy February 20, 1999 in front of the Castro Theater. Now Days of Remembrance are celebrated on or around November 20 each year in hundreds of cities across the world. “I’ve lost count,” Gwen admitted, “because every day there’s a new one.”

Singer/songwriter Storm Florez performed a moving original composition addressing the ways a person’s death can cause people to suddenly see and speak of them in an entirely different light. Referring to his struggles with his own family, Storm insisted he didn’t want acceptance—to finally be called “he”—after death. “I want it now,” Storm declared. “We want it now.”

This statement resonated with me as the group marched from TRANS:THRIVE’s offices in the Tenderloin to City Hall, gathering for a vigil and balloon launch. Each balloon was anchored by a rolled-up scroll listing the names of all the reported transgender murders since the Remembering Our Dead Project began in 1998. When released, a few balloons were so heavy with names that they languished, earth-bound. It was a powerful metaphor for the heaviness of our losses and the despair we feel in the face of transphobia, yet the symbol of those names flying free through the air offered hope.

I was bolstered by a comment made during the vigil—“What inspires me is seeing another trans person walking down the street and living their life.” I was elevated by the urge to believe in my own self-worth. I was lifted by the reality of what standing up for myself means to those around me. May we keep ourselves open to such inspirations, and may we continue to lift each other up.

For more information:
Transgender Day of Remembrance
See footage of the very first Transgender Day of Remembrance, with Gwendolyn Ann Smith and Theresa Sparks, on YouTube here and here.

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