Posted: November 28, 2002

4th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil Held in Downtown Indianapolis

Indianapolis--They came from Lafayette and Bloomington, from Greencastle and Plainfield, from Carmel and Indianapolis to remember the dead, to mourn over two dozen lives cut short in the past year by gender-related violence. In all, more than forty people gathered in downtown Indianapolis on a clear but bitterly cold Saturday evening, November 23, 2002 to commemorate the 4th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This year marked the first time Indianapolis residents participated in Day of Remembrance activities. Event co-sponsors, the Community Activist Network Developed by Youth (CANDY) and the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance (INTRAA), served hot cocoa and cider, courtesy of the Vic's. Participants bearing photographs of the dead held candles for those who could no longer hold a light of their own. Members of INTRAA and CANDY then read names from a list of more than 250 individuals individuals that have reportedly been murdered for their gender expression since statistics have been collected. "It was cold, but worth it!" exclaimed one vigil participant, who wished to remain anonymous. "It is a really sobering experience to hear all those names."

"Particularly striking is the number of young people on the list," added Bryan Sirtosky, a vigil organizer and President of INTRAA. "Since August of this year, there have been three children under the age of 18 brutally murdered here in the United States for the 'crime' of being themselves."

Sirtosky also noted the disproportionate number of people of color on the list. "It is time we all acknowledge how multiple forms of oppression can have a devastating and compounding effect on the most vulnerable individuals in our community. Now is the time not only to remember our dead, but to garner our strength as a community, to empower one another as we work to create a world free from the threat of gender-related violence for ALL people."