The Vigil: reflections following Transgender Day of Remembrance.

As I’m sure many of you will know, last Friday was Transgender Day of Remembrance (see below) and the LGBTQ association held a candle lit vigil that evening. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who turned up including both LGBTQ people and straight allies. I’d like to give particular thanks to Rev Kara Cooper from the Chaplaincy, who following the reading of the names and the one minute silence gave an eloquent non-denominational prayer.

The issue of violence against trans people is still a very real problem both within our own society and in many places across the world, and given the small percentage of the overall population who are trans, the numbers effected by this are still far too high. TDoR acts as a way for the trans community and those allied to it to address this issue in a reflective manner, allowing for both healing and renewed strength in the battle against discrimination. The people listed within TDoR services only represent a part of the picture, for we will never truly know how many there are, nor shall we know all of their names; but it is important to remember that alongside these losses there are also many who have survived this type of transphobia, and continue to fight against it.

Transphobia, like any kind of discrimination, presents itself in many forms, and the consequences of it may not always be directly apparent. In its most apparent form we open abuse, but this does not address more subtle issues such as social exclusion and societal attitudes, factors which explain why statistics state that 34% of trans people have considered suicide (Samaritans). Violence can also take on more passive forms; many both on and off the list died not on the streets, but in their homes and in hospitals, refusal of medical treatment based upon trans status is far from unknown, even in the Western world.

It is for these reasons that Transgender Day of Remembrance exists; for so long as the situation remains at it is currently, it becomes imperative to ensure that these injustices are not overlooked. The candle lights during the vigil are meant to represent the lives of trans people; in many services the candles are snuffed out one by one with each reading of the names, but throughout the vigil we chose instead to keep relighting the candles blown out by the wind; and at the end of the service some of us sat around and allowed as many of the candles as possible to blow out naturally. The most important thing to be taken away from this is not the sorrow brought about by the deaths we were there to remember, but the renewed hope for a better future.

Transgender Health (NHS)