Transgender Day of Remembrance in Richmond

I call this newsletter “Dystopian Updates” because I would like to remind my readers that our world is not right. There is much injustice and suffering but still everyone is expected to continue with living. Members of the LGBTQ community have to resume their lives after a mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub leaving 5 dead.

November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance. It was recognized by Virginia after passing both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates in 2020. However as Danica Roem (Virginia's only trans state legislator) points out it was passed with only 3 of the 45 Republicans in the House. For many Republicans, transgender existence is a partian issue.

As transgender activists gather on a cold and somber Sunday in Richmond, there was a reminder that the lives of trans people are constantly in danger.

The activist collective Virginia Tran designed and selected this graphic not knowing that there would be a horrific mass shooting the night before but with the knowledge that many transgender people face adverse dangers on a daily basis. Instead of just morning the dead, take the time to uplife those that still need assistance. As activist Aurora Higgs said that as 32 year old black trans woman, that of she were to experience fatal transphobic violence that it would be in the next few years. Black and Latina Trans woman have a significantly higher risk of being victims of homicide.

Higgs shared the poem won’t you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton that closes with “come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.” The otherside of being trans and fearing for safety is also the ability to receive basic services like healthcare.

Bri Mae Magsarili shared their own story of being treated while receiving emergency care. Transgender individuals are not accounted for in transgender spaces.

The attack on the LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q, has people fearing the worse, that anti-trans propaganda and rhetoric has lead to individuals to act and create this violence. Club Q was set to host an all ages Drag Brunch the next morning.

This is not an isolated incident with the Boston Children's Hospital receiving three bomb threats since August. These threats come after popular conservative social media accounts begin to bring attention to institutions that are inclusive to transgender people.

These accusations of trans inclusivity exist in Virginia as well. Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman was accused of attempting to criminalize parents who objecting to “sex changes” by Tucker Carlson on Fox News. Something that is not true unless you stretch definitions of words beyond their meaning. Guzman was attempting to codified abuse as injury on the basis of the child’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

Delegate Guzman stood strong against outrageous claims while she was campaigning for Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger during her reelection. This is an odd match because Spanberger is known as a Democrat close to the center in Congress while Guzman is one of the most left wing members of the House Delegates, co-chairing the Bernie Sanders Virginia campaign. Attacks toward Guzman from conservatives were part of a national effort against Democrats in the 2022 Election to condemn them for being inclusive to transgender people. The National Republican Congressional Committee linked those Spanberger to Guzman in attacks ads.

For the event, several Virginia lawmakers came out to share their support for members of the LGBTQ community and did so by hugging the activists that came out. Delegate Guzman showed up as well as Delegate Rodney Willett and Virginia Senator Ghazala Hashmi. Also Richmond City Councilor Katherine Jordan. None of them gave speeches but instead kept the spotlight on the speeches from transgender activists.

Oh course in situations with this, there was a police presence. Virginia Capitol Police were on hand during this event, ominously watching from a distance, but the event came and went without any interuptors.