Vanderbilt University’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Life will sponsor a candlelight vigil honoring the 10th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Thursday, Nov. 20.
The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. in All Faith Chapel with a memorial for those killed because of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The chapel is located directly beneath the university’s Benton Chapel at 444 21st Ave. South. Following the memorial, attendees will march with lighted candles to Vanderbilt’s K.C. Potter Center for a celebration of life.
Transgender Day of Remembrance is held nationally in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 launched the "Remembering Our Dead" Web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil the following year. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in cities across the world. During the last decade, one person per month has died because of transgender-based hate or prejudice, according to Brett Genny Beemyn, author of the forthcoming book, The Lives of Transgender People.
The Office of LGBTQI Life at Vanderbilt provides support and is a place of affirmation for individuals of all identities as well as a resource for information about gender and sexuality. The office serves all members of the Vanderbilt community – students, faculty, staff and alumni – by creating educational, cultural and social opportunities. The office also supports and advises LGBTQI-related campus groups and activities.
For more information about the candlelight vigil, call 615-322-3330.
Media Contact: Princine Lewis, (615) 322-NEWS
princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu