Transgender Day of Remembrance

• Posted by Pauline Smith November 25, 2013 #  #murder  #suicide  #transphobia  1,032 views
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  Yesterday (Sunday, 24th November) about 100 of us attended the Transgendered Memorial Service at the new TG Memorial in Sackville Gardens Manchester. The event was organized by Tony Cooper (from Via) and Jenny-Anne Bishop togther with a group of helpers and presenters of all ages fromTrans Forum and other organizations.

   

  The service started at around 4pm and ran for about an hour.  Attached to the trees near where the memorial statue is were lists of the names of all the transgendered people who have been murdered or forced to commit suicide by transphobia.  Tony adressed the gathering - some of us under a gazebo, provided in case it rained (it didn't) - and after his introduction about why we were there, we had singing from the LGBT choir (recorded and played back).

   

  And then several people read out the names of all those transpeople who have died since 2010 because of transphobia. This was followed by a moving poem written and spoken by the authoress (sorry I dont have her name) with great passion about friends who have gone, and then by another transwoman who spoke movingly about Lucy Meadows and how she was driven to suicide.  Both of these eloquent speakers reinforced the view that those who are driven to suicide are victims of transphobia, as well as those who are murdered.

   

  We then had 2 minutes silence - 1 minute for those who were murdered and 1 minute for those who took their own lives.  And then we all lit candles and listened again to the LGBT choir. And finally those of us with floral tributes left them next to the Memorial, and placed our candles in the sand. I left a small bunch of flowers from all of us here at Transtastic, together with an appropriate inscription.

   

  It was very moving and emotional event and the organizers hope that having a permament memorial will enable any transperson who is in Manchester to stop by and spend a few moments in contemplation; not just for those who died for being like us and but also to think about how rocky our own journeys sometimes are.  If you do go to Sparkle next year stop by and look at the memorial, by then the roses should be out (2 varieties - Sparkle and Remembrance). And between now and then if you are in Canals Street - do take a few minutes out of your schedule to visit the memorial.

   

  I have given a couple of links below for those who want to see photos of the event and are on Facebook, and a list of all the TG Memorial Services from transgender.org as well as some other relevnt links. I don't have a copy of the order of service, so if I missed somethings out and forgot names that is just my poor memory.  I do hope that you got a flavour of the event and how moving it really was.

   

   

  Pauline xxx

   

   

  http://www.transgenderdor.org/

   

  https://www.facebook.com/TransForumManchester

   

  http://www.lgf.org.uk/news-articles/transgender-day-of-remembrance-2013-manchester-unites-in-memorial/

   

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Transgender-Remembrance-Memorial-Project-Manchester/127795353947830