Under Sunday evening’s light drizzle, about 40 people gathered in downtown Santa Barbara at the Sunken Gardens to commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Community members held tea lights and stood in a circle as speakers discussed the dangers of anti-transgender violence.
As has become tradition at the internationally celebrated day of remembrance, volunteers read the names of victims of trans violence from the previous year. Although some were identified by full name, many more were not, shedding light on the deafening silence surrounding transphobia-motivated brutality. One man burned sage as he read a portion of the list of names, his voice echoing against the stone archway of the courthouse.
“I never forget that there’s danger and risk to be alive, to just be who we are,” said Lisa Gilinger at the start of the evening. Gilinger, a Santa Barbara-based attorney, helped organize the event with the Santa Barbara Equality Project, an arm of Pacific Pride Foundation.