boston transgender day of remembrance.

[subjective]

the national transgender day of remembrance is wednesday, 20 november. if you're in boston, we will be gathering at st. john the evangelist church at 35 bowdoin street, at 7pm. there will be an optional candlelight vigil to government center, so please dress warmly. the event is non-denominational & all are welcome.

i have to say that i struggle with the concept of vigils, particularly for transpeople, who generally seem to be recognized only when dead. where does the mere existence of transpeople even get acknowledged outside of sensationalized murder stories & jerry springer episodes? but it's been a long year, & in the past i have found it helpful & comforting to mourn collectively at this event.

send me an email if you need more information or want a copy of the informational flyer to circulate.

Comments

[dykesk8.livejournal.com]

hey can you email me a flyer? liz_clough@yahoo.com

[adrienmundi]

I'm going to seize a segment of the above and go off on a tangent, basically because that's how my mind works. It's certainly not any attempt to invalidate the concept of mourning and remembrance, which in an ideal world wouldn't even be necessary.

where does the mere existence of transpeople even get acknowledged outside of sensationalized murder stories & jerry springer episodes?

This has always puzzled, frustrated, and humbled me. So much of being trans, at least for a lot of trans people, seems to be that they are invisible, or should be. I think the Benjamin accords and the whole paradigm of passing and integrating create this environment wherein it's ok to be different, so long as you're working like hell to fit into either the round or square hole. Stick out, and very bad things happen. If you're good, and you do what you're supposed to do, no casual observer will ever be able to guess that you jumped from one to the other. If you are readable, well then, something's wrong with you, and you deserve the harassment, etc.

I don't know what the solution is. Personally, I talk a good talk, but feel less than courageous on a daily basis.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

hey. i'm pretty sure you know sheerchaos. anyway, her response anytime anyone suggessts doing vigils-as-actions has always been: "I AM ALIVE." and that's kinda how i feel. but then again i'm conflicted because i don't think the dead should be forgotten either. as a non-transperson i think the ideal is a balance. one day a year to stop and remember the dead and 364 days a year fighting like hell to make life better and more just for the living.

[subjective.livejournal.com]

i totally agree-- i wouldn't consider this vigil to be action/activism (though i guess one could argue that it's promoting visibility, but again, what kind of visibility & why is that so often the only kind?). i tend to approach vigils as time set aside to mourn & remember, & i think (for me) that's a necessary counterpart to what i'm doing & how i'm feeling the rest of the time. anyway, i'm sure i'll see you there on the 20th.