By: Dorian Nappo

In my five years at Montclair, I have met many people, I have seen many diverse events and I have learned about many other cultures, ethnicities and interests of my fellow peers. I think we would all agree that Montclair is pretty diverse. However, there is one special day that occurs in the middle of November that seems to always be neglected, even by the LGBTQ community, the community it is primarily a part of. This day is Transgender Remembrance Day.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is held every November to honor Rita Hester, who was murdered on Nov. 28, 1998 into a transgender-related hate crime. Her death caused the community to start the “Remembering Our Dead” project and hold the first ever Transgender Remembrance Vigil in San Francisco in 1999. The “Remembering Our Dead” project helps us commemorate others who have died in transgender-related hate crimes by listing their names, their causes of death and any other relevant information.

So, why is this particular event overlooked? One reason may be that a lot of people don’t know what transgenderism is, or how to react to it. Transgender is an umbrella term that encompasses the identities of: transsexuals, crossdressers, intersexed individuals, performers and gender benders/genderqueers/androgynes.

A transsexual is a person who is born into one gender, but identifies psychologically and emotionally as the other. This person may be transitioning from male to female (MtF) or female to male (FtM). Often, transsexuals experience Gender Identify Disorder, which is defined as someone who is dissatisfied with the biological sex they were born with. Gender Identity Disorder is a fairly common disorder and can have a profound impact on someone’s life, whether that person identifies as transgender, or if they’re just associated with someone that identifies that way. It is also important to note that not every person that identifies as transgender will have sex reassignment surgery. It is a personal choice, and depends on the person. Some may opt to take hormones, and some may just dress like the gender he or she feels most comfortable with.

A cross-dresser is a person who is comfortable with their physical gender at birth, but will occasionally dress or take on mannerisms of the opposite gender. Cross-dressers are often heterosexual men.

An intersexed individual is defined as a person who is born with both male and female biological features (usually genitalia). At birth, the physician and parents make a decision on which gender this child should be raised as. This is accompanied by surgery or hormonal treatment.

A performer is defined as someone who dresses and acts like the opposite sex for entertainment. For performers, drag is used for a job or for play. It is most often not an identity for this person. Some performers are gay or transgender, and some are not.

Finally, a gender bender/genderqueer/androgyne is defined as someone that does not fit into any of these categories or the categories of “male” and “female.” Often, they have a combination of masculine and feminine characteristics.

Now that I have given you a bit of an insight into the transgender community, I’d like to stress the importance of this day, and taking time to recognize it. We take the time to come together and recognize the lives that were lost in transgender-related hate crimes, something that the media doesn’t put much emphasis on. We raise awareness of hate crimes and the hatred against the community. We honor these people, and we sympathize with their families and loved ones. We remember them, and we hope and pray that the same thing doesn’t happen to those we know.

On Nov. 20 this year, people around the world will be commemorating the eighth annual Transgender Remembrance Day. While we are remembering those lost, we are also fighting for acceptance and change. 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. We must move forward and raise more awareness, and make sure that these crimes are lessened. Every person makes a difference. Make yourself aware and fight for change.

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