The subject of gender identity is one that, even within the LGBTQ community, still causes confusion and even hatred. And it is for this reason that each year, Long Beach recognizes the transgender community during the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, to be celebrated November 20 in Long Beach’s Harvey Milk Promenade Park.
That confusion and hatred has translated into the transgender community becoming one of the most marginalized in the country: an exorbitant 85% of transgender individuals have sought mental health services, often lacking accommodation because common medical employees and standardized mental health professionals have not been trained to properly and ethically handle LGBTQ issues, a fact confirmed by the nation’s first state-sponsored LGBTQ mental health disparities report. This should not be shocking since cisgendered individuals—that is, people whose biological sex has never been misaligned with their mental perception of their gender—often have a hard time wrapping their head around questioning an identity that, at least for them, has never been an issue.
That same report also clarified that even the common conception of transgender—that “transgender” just translates into someone who desires to be or identifies as the opposite of their biological sex—is vastly overgeneralized.
“Transgender,” according to the report, is not a cohesive (nor even popular) identity since there is such a widespread spectrum that encompasses gender-variance. In other words, more individuals that fall under the “T” of LGBTQ actually identify as genderqueer, androgynous, transman/woman, or by simple man/boy and woman/girl identifiers.
“Transgender” accounted for only 11% of the trans-spectrum group surveyed, showcasing the diversity of the group as well as the need to approach the trans community without assumptions or accusations.
To add another disturbing number, of the hate crimes committed against the trans community in Los Angeles County, 92% of them were violent in nature, and the trans community across the nation will see a murder rate of their members 50% higher than that of the gay and lesbian communities.
And it is perhaps here that celebrating International Transgender Day of Remembrance holds its most visceral and powerful point: by having people gather at Harvey Milk Park, their showcase of support will be an image that could help someone—anyone—who may be struggling with their own identity.
“When speaking of diversity and the need for equal rights within the LGBT community, the T is often left out of the conversation,” said 2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, who co-sponsored last year’s event at Bixby Park. “This day is important in that it reminds us that without support for all of us, none of us will truly be equal.”
The day of remembrance was founded in 1999 by transgender graphic designer Gwendolyn Ann Smith following the unsolved murder of Rita Hester outside of Boston, whose body was discovered stabbed over twenty times on November 28, 1998. The overall negative media coverage—in which her death was consistently described with male pronouns and focused on the fact that Hester had been a prostitute—prompted the trans community to coalesce in fighting for Hester. The case was re-opened in 2006 by the Boston police and remains unsolved to this day.
This year’s event will feature several guest speakers in addition to a reading of names transgender people whose lives have been lost to violence over the last year. Featured this year are the LGTQ Center’s Executive Director Porter Gilberg, 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez, and CSULB professor and actress Alexandra Billings, currently featured on the series Transparent.
This marks the first time the event will be hosted in Harvey Milk Promenade Park.
“I am proud to represent a district and a city that understands that social and legal equality for transgender people ensures equality for all people,” said Gonzalez in a statement. “The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a reminder that we can all play a role in reducing discrimination in our community and communities everywhere.”
The Transgender Day of Remembrance will take place Thursday, November 20 at 6:30PM at Harvey Milk Park. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Porter Gilberg at 562-434-4455. For a complete list of Remembrance events worldwide, click here.