Around 50 people gathered at the Santa Barbara Courthouse last Tuesday evening for the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDR). The event was organized by Lisa’s Place, the Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF), and Santa Barbara Trans Advocacy Network to honor the lives of transgender people killed in the past year throughout the world. “We honor those who died by violence at the hands of others and at the hands of society at large,” said Lisa Gilinger, Santa Barbara attorney who started the TDR event at the courthouse more than ten years ago.
This year, Trans Murder Monitoring reported 369 deaths. The oldest was 74 years old. The youngest were 16. In the United States, 29 people were killed, the majority of them women of color.
Attendees took turns reading the names and ages of the victims as they stood in a circle holding candles. “Their light remains untamed from the violence they experienced in life,” said Patrick Lyra Lanier, LGBTQ+ Program Manager with PPF. Following the event, attendees were invited to Lisa’s Place, a transgender and non-binary community space.