Tampa Bay Coalition
Posts this Press Release in Support and on Behalf of;

Roanoke7

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 12, 2002

Roanoke7, Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (Pflag), and Interfaith Sexual Minorities (ISM) to conduct Roanoke's First-Ever Transgender Day of Remembrance.

CONTACT: Eddie R. Ratliff, Executive, Director 540-985-9400

On November 20th, Roanoke7 and others, in association with the National Gender Education Advisory (GEA), will conduct a special Day of Remembrance at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2015 Grandin Road, in Roanoke. Those wishing to attend are asked to come directly from work, between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. A brief demonstration in support of increased tolerance will be held in the parking lot prior to soup, sandwiches,cookies, coffee, and soft drinks being served by participating groups. Thirty eight cities and four countries are participating in this effort on the national and international level.

This event will honor the memory of Gwen Araujo, a seventeen-year-old trangendered youth that was beaten, repeatedly stabbed, and strangled to death on October 3rd in Newark, California. Her body was found weeks later, wrapped in a sheet and buried in a shallow desert grave. The murder occurred near San Francisco, known for its tolerance and diversity. The silence of those that witnessed the murder but did not report it for weeks is appalling and may be an indictment on the way society continues to disregard and devalue the lives of those perceived to be different.

This year, twenty-five people identifying in some way as transgendered, have been murdered. The assaults are typically extremely brutal in nature. In recent years, a 12-year-old boy was charged with stabbing a victim more than forty times. A New York State judge murdered his cross-dressing son and his son's wife, then committed suicide. Other transgendered victims have been thrown from buildings, set on fire, and gunned down in gang-style slayings; some were mutilated, dismembered, even beheaded. Transgender violence has increased substantially in the past year and is proportionally higher than hate crimes against gays, lesbians, and other minorities.

According to some statistics, up to 1 in 100 children are born intersexed, meaning they are born with the physical characteristics (genitalia) of both sexes. Others are born with physical traits of one sex, which must be reconciled with emotional, psychological and other traits of the opposite sex. Some have a difficult time adjusting to gender roles assigned at birth by well-meaning physicians and family members because as they develop, they realize they are trapped in the wrong body. Gender reversal (sex reassignment) is not necessary in every case for the individual to live a productive, meaningful life. It is important to understand the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity. While sexual orientation refers to the gender one is attracted to, gender identity refers to the sense of which gender one is.

The Day of Remembrance is a way of calling attention to transgendered victims of discrimination, hate, and violence. Those seeking a better understanding of this issue or wishing to stand in solidarity with those who live and sometimes die transgendered, are encouraged to attend and bring a candle.

The Roanoke7.com and Outtochange.org web sites will be blacked out on November 20th as a symbol of the deaths of transgendered victims.

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