Today, Shreveport community members will gather at the Centenary College Band Shell to remember and mourn all of the transgender and gender nonconforming people who have been murdered in the previous year and to draw attention to the ongoing problem of violence against the transgender community. Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed every year in November in over 180 cities in 20 countries around the world, including Shreveport.
"It is tragic that some people in America feel so threatened by atypical gender expressions, that they choose to murder those of us who are transgender," said Pam Raintree, an activist and board member for Louisiana Trans Advocates.
It is estimated that one trans person per month on average is killed in the United States in a hate crime. In the last year, an estimated 250 gender variant/trans people were reported murdered worldwide. The term transgender refers to people whose gender identity, expression, or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth.
Sean Edwards, a leader of Shreveport Trans Advocates, said "It scares me to think that someone would kill us simply because we're trans; because we're slightly different than everyone else. But we're still people. We have families. We lead normal lives."


WHAT: Shreveport Transgender Day of Remembrance
WHO: Shreveport Trans Advocates members, supporters, and allies
WHERE: Centenary College Band Shell
WHEN: Wednesday, November 14, 5:00