Day Of Remembrance -S. Bear Bergman
I’m scrolling and scrolling,
names on my screen keep rolling,
more than I expected to see, hundreds,
too many to count quickly,
too many to die so early,
one day before they would have is
too early,
outrageous,
sentenced to death for being courageous,
living out loud in an age such as this,
where every border’s guarded and marked with gendered piss,
this here is only for us,
only for you,
what is it mommy?
not now honey, that’s rude — why is it rude?
that’s a bad attitude, that’s what you’ll do?
Parents, that’s unworthy of you,
if something’s unusual,
let children know what’s different,
buy him a tutu - let that be the end of it,
let them grow unencumbered by expectation,
there’s all kinds of situations,
gender, race, ethnic variations,
none of them cut or dried, no lie,
cause otherwise,
we get “boys don’t cry”,
we tell our boys not to cry,
they swallow the tears, the fears,
they erode every other feeling until it explodes,
looking like Gwen in a shallow grave by the road,
like Marsha being fished out whole,
looking like Brandon full of anger’s holes.
We won’t accept this, the idea is ludicrous,
you want to kill a kid because he wants to wear a dress?
Ridiculous.
We will not go gently, not into any night or memory,
we’re here today remember our family, taken too early,
I hope they come back to haunt their killers fully,
inhabit their uncertainty,
give them their own inescapable enemy,
and for those of us still alive,
stand up!
stand up and shout,
stand up and be what it’s about,
be the change you want to see in the world,
live like a flag unfurled,
be heard,
today we are here to remember,
today we are peaceful in honor,
today we are heard together,
but tomorrow this event’s a lesson to miscreants,
anyone with ill intent, our spirit unbreakable,
a lot at stake, our numbers unmistakable,
proclaiming, I’m here with my tribe,
this family’s my wealth, and
I would die with them before I would live by myself.
Today is the ninth anniversary of the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “
Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.
