Dear Editor: As many of you know, Simpson has an LGBTQA group on campus where the ‘T’ stands for Transgendered. In honor of that, the group would like to inform the campus about the 6th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20th. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. You may not believe it but transgender deaths are happened as close as Council Bluffs. Selena çlvarez-Hernandez died July 31, 2003 from multiple stab wounds.

We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred-based violence, especially since the events of Sept. 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.

The hate ends with us.

Lindsey Ingles

President, LGBTQA