Bay Area events will take place to observe the Transgender day of Remembrance. The day, started by Bay Area Reporter Transmissions columnist Gwendolyn Ann Smith 26 years ago, is an effort to remember trans people annually killed by violence. Smith started the Remembering Our Dead project, of which the remembrance day is a part, in 1998, after Rita Hester, a young Black trans woman, was found dead in Alston, Massachusetts.
Today, the Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDOR, formally observed on November 20, pays tribute to the hundreds of trans people killed in the U.S. and around the world.In Oakland, the LGBTQ Community Center will hold an event Tuesday, November 19, at Fluid 510, the gay-owned nightclub at 1455 Broadway in downtown Oakland. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the event is free.
Organizers shared in an email announcement that the event will feature a moving program, food, performances, and a moment of silence to honor those the community has lost.
“Let’s unite in love and remembrance,” said officials from the center. For more details, contact (510) 882-2286.
In Vallejo, the Solano Pride Center, Solano Serenity Center, Solano AIDS Coalition, and the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum will host a TDOR event on Saturday, November 16, at the museum located at 734 Marin Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the program running from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event will feature speakers such as Will McGarvey, executive director of the Solano Pride Center; Ms. Bob Davis, a transgender woman and founder of the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archives in Vallejo; Mario Saucedo, CEO of the Solano AIDS Coalition; and Morgan Robison from the Solano Serenity Center. The keynote speaker will be Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, a transgender woman who was elected to the bench in 2010 and is married to Bay Area Reporter news editor Cynthia Laird. The event is free to attend.
Castro Valley Pride will hold a TDOR event Wednesday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m. outside the Alameda County Office of Education building at 313 West Winton Avenue in Hayward.
Austin Bruckner Carrillo, a gay man who is president of Castro Valley Pride, stated in a news release that this year’s gathering takes on a deeper significance due to the recent election results and continued attacks on trans people, particularly trans youth.
“The choice of location — the Office of Education — reflects our response to these direct assaults on the safety and dignity of our community’s most vulnerable members,” he stated. “We will not be silent in the face of this rising hate.
“During the vigil, we will solemnly honor those lost since the last Day of Remembrance,” he said. “Unfortunately, this year we are reading more names than ever, a painful reminder of the ongoing violence against trans lives. Together, we will create space for mourning, remembering them while reaffirming our commitment to fight for justice and the safety of our living community members.” Carrillo recently ran for a seat on the Hayward school board but did not succeed, according to early results.
San Francisco’s observance will take place on Wednesday, November 20, beginning with a rally at 5:30 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.
“Following a recent wave of anti-trans media attacks, San Francisco’s transgender and gender-nonconforming communities are uniting for a powerful event to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance,” organizers said. “In a time when a federal administration’s rise is built on the marginalization of the transgender community, this event is a reclaiming of power and a call to ensure the safety and dignity of the trans community.”
Honey Mahogany, the director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives, and Nicole Santamaria, the executive director of El/La Para TransLatinas, will be speaking at the march. The event will begin at City Hall and proceed to the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, located at 1800 Market Street.
At 7 PM, attendees will join a program hosted by Star Amerasu and Marcel Pardo Ariza, which will feature notable speakers and emotional performances, according to a news release. The speakers will include Janetta Johnson, CEO of the Transgender, Gender-Variant, Intersex Justice Project, and transgender activist Jupiter Peraza. Performers include singer-songwriter Tory Teasley and poet Natasha Dennerstein.
SFPD, Walgreens launch holiday toy drive
The San Francisco Police Department is asking for the public’s help to bring holiday cheer to children in need. This year, more than ever, the department is encouraging and kindly asking the community to please be generous in supporting the annual holiday toy drive, a news release stated.
Like SFPD’s nine years of collaboration with Walgreens, the department will be accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys at over 40 San Francisco Walgreens locations now through Friday, December 20.
Individuals can purchase or drop off a new, unwrapped toy in any San Francisco Walgreens or any district police station. The items will be collected by the police department and donated to children this holiday season. Last year, approximately 6,000 toys were donated at the city’s Walgreens stores.
Horizons State of the Movement
The election results that will see Republican former President Donald Trump return to the White House and GOP control of the U.S. Senate make this year’s Horizons Foundation State of the Movement event especially timely. The free virtual discussion will be held Thursday, November 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time).
The discussion, with a question and answer session, will feature Horizons President Roger Doughty, a gay man, and LGBTQ leaders Fran Hutchins, executive director of Equality Federation; Andy Marra, CEO of Advocates for Trans Equality; Ricardo Martinez, executive director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; and Imani Rupert-Gordon, president of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. They will discuss the present and future of the queer movement.
Organizers noted that the political right is sharpening its plans to put its anti-LGBTQ agenda into action. The U.S. Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative supermajority, is scheduled to hear oral arguments on a trans rights case in early December.
The Horizons discussion will look at ways for the community to move from reactive to active in the face of likely attacks and lessons learned from the times and places the community played offense, an announcement stated.
Sonoma supervisor to hold post-election forum
Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who represents District 5 that includes Guerneville, will hold a virtual town hall Wednesday, November 20, at 6 p.m. In the wake of the election, Hopkins stated in her newsletter, “Many LGBTQIA, undocumented, female, and BIPOC folks are staring down the next four years and wondering what it will mean for their families, for their bodies, for their rights, for their safety.
“We’ll be showcasing local organizations who are dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA folks, women’s reproductive health care, undocumented community members, the social safety net, mental health services, and the environment,” Hopkins stated
Registration open for Sin City Classic
The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association has announced that registration is open for the 16th annual Sin City Classic Sports Festival that will be held in Las Vegas January 16-20. A news release stated that the festival will feature 23 different sports, including the newest addition of martial arts.
Billed as the world’s largest LGBTQ+ sporting event, around 10,000 athletes and allies from across the globe are expected, the release stated.
“Every year the Sin City Classic grows and evolves. After an exhibition last year, we’re welcoming the martial arts group to the festival in 2025,” stated Sin City Classic Co-Executive Director Jason Peplinski. “We look forward to bringing together our diverse community for a weekend full of competition, camaraderie, and community where we can, at least for the weekend, leave our cares behind, bond with our fellow athletes, and celebrate living authentically.”
This year’s full list of sports includes not only martial arts but also basketball, bowling, bridge, cheerleading, cornhole, darts (soft tip and steel tip), dodgeball, esports, flag football, golf, indoor rowing, kickball, pickleball, rodeo university, soccer, softball, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, indoor volleyball, sand volleyball, and wrestling and grappling.
Each January, during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the festival begins with the Cornhole for Charity event on Friday afternoon, which supports the Ken Scearce Scholarship Fund, according to the release. (Scearce, a gay man, was the director of Sin City Classic until his passing in 2021.) This is followed by the opening night registration party at the Flamingo Las Vegas, the host hotel. Competitions and nightly social events occur across the city, with the weekend concluding at the closing party, held this year at the LINQ Promenade’s Brooklyn Bowl.
Updated, 11/13/24: This article has been updated with information on San Francisco’s TDOR event.
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