Brandonites honour victims of anti-trans violence

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This article was published 21/11/2018 (2533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hosting a day of celebration mixed with melancholy, Knox United Church held a Trans Day of Remembrance afternoon service and evening candlelight vigil Tuesday.

Taking the time to remember transgender, two-spirited and non-conforming members of the community, the service served to provide a visible support for transgender people in the community while honouring those killed as a result of anti-transgender violence.

Event organizer Isaiah Lamontagne hopes that guests of the event were able to understand the issues facing the transgender community, and that there are ways to work together to combat stereotypes, stigmas and discrimination transgender people face every day.

“It’s really nice to come with us and celebrate our siblings’ lives, because these are people that while we may not have known them, their stories are similar to ours,” Lamontagne said.

While more then 40 guests attended the service, the event drew a smaller crowd than years past.

Those in attendance were implored to committed to protect, support and take action on behalf of LGBTQ community members who often face discrimination and violence in their day-to-day lives.

The Trans Day of Remembrance was first held in San Francisco in 1999, and has grown to encompass the globe.

Offering a moment to reflect and remember those who have suffered for their gender non-conformity the event serves to honour those killed and others who have survived as transgender members of the community, said J Fiedler, SERC LGBT2SQ+ program facilitator and event organizer.

During the service and vigil, the names of those killed around the world each year are read to honour their memory. More than 300 names were read this year, including many killed whose names remain unknown.

“The number is very gradually going up,” Lamontagne said. Although, with the advent of the internet this may be due to a better recognition of members of the transgender community and the referral to their preferred name after their deaths.

Calling it a “doubled-edged sword,” Fiedler said it was difficult to tell if there were more murders, or if the world as a whole was more cognizant of transgender violence.

“With more dedicated reporting and more awareness, the numbers are going up,” Lamontagne said.

The conversation surrounding the transgender experience is growing and changing, said Lamontagne, who is unsure if these changes are for better or worse.

Of note at this year’s service were concerns raised over the perceived “radical agenda” of the transgender community, and concerns that this could incite violence against the vulnerable.

Fiedler sees this backlash to the community as a sign it is growing and that the disenfranchised community is slowly gaining power.

Finding the conversation and coverage to be a mixed bag, especially in light of a recent Ontario Tory resolution to remove gender identity from the province’s curriculum, and United States President Donald Trump’s continued attacks on the transgender community, Lamontagne said there can be light in the darkness.

Citing British Columbia’s recent commitment to offer gender-affirming lower surgeries to trans individuals along with blossoming celebrations of trans celebrities and Pride parades, Lamontagne is hopeful for the future.

“We’re here and there’s nothing wrong with us being here. There’s good and there’s bad with the extension of the conversation,” Lamontagne said.

The idea of gender diversity is not new, Fiedler said, and while society has gotten better, it still has a long way to go in terms of discussions surrounding transgender people.

Capt. Terra Pettigrew from CFB Shilo was on hand at the event as the main speaker, talking about how difficult it can be to explain the experience of gender dysmorphia to cisgendered individuals.

Pettigrew is in the midst of gender transitioning and a proud military member. Anxious about the rising focus on the “radical agenda” of the transgender community, Pettigrew called for those in attendance to appreciate the stories shared, even if it is with sadness, and hope for a better and safer future as an ally.

Simple steps like respecting someone’s preferred gender pronouns are one of the ways people can support the transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming community as an ally, Lamontagne said.

“If you have an issue with dropping a letter with how you refer to me, the issue is with you, not with me,” Lamontagne said, “It’s not my preferred pronouns, it’s my pronouns.”

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