New York, NY, November 16, 2011 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today urged media outlets to share the stories of those lost to anti-transgender violence in observance of the 13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), set to take place on Sunday, November 20. GLAAD has also created a resource kit for journalists with a guide to terminology and information about anti-transgender violence, available here: www.glaad.org/publications/tdorkit.
“Transgender Americans continue to face staggering rates of violence and harassment – simply because of who they are,” said Acting GLAAD President Mike Thompson. “We hope that our community, as well as members of the media, will shine a light on the pervasive violence that transgender people face as well as use this day to remember the humanity that we all share.”
This week, GLAAD is also featuring the stories of leading transgender advocates and celebrities at http://www.glaad.org/tags/transgender-day-remembrance. Among the notables contributing to GLAAD’s TDOR blog series: actress Laverne Cox, People.com editor Janet Mock, advocate DeeDee Chamblee, advocate Ja’briel Walthour, athlete and advocate Chris Mosier, and advocate Stephanie Battaglino, among others.
GLAAD is also proudly sponsoring a number of vigils throughout the country. The Gender Identity Project and the New York Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center will host a vigil in New York City on Friday, November 18 in memoriam of the lives lost to anti-transgender violence (http://www.glaad.org/events/tdor2011nyc) . The West Hollywood Transgender Advisory Board will host a similar vigil on Sunday, November 20 in West Hollywood, Calif (http://www.glaad.org/events/tdor2011weho).
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was first observed following the 1998 murder of 34-year-old African American transgender woman and advocate, Rita Hester. To this day, Hester’s killer(s) has not been found.
