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Bailey Thompson<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Trans women of color have a one in eight chance of being murdered, according to Trans Student Educational Resources.<\/span><\/p>\n Aiming to shed light on sobering statistics such as this, Western\u2019s Stonewall Center set up a table in the Werner University Center on Nov. 15 to observe Trans Day of Remembrance \u2014 a day which occurs annually on Nov. 20.<\/span><\/p>\n In order to honor those who have been murdered because of their trans identity, Stonewall Center sought to spread awareness and love within the Western community by distributing flyers and having students write notes of encouragement and support on paper hearts that would later be joined to create a transgender flag.<\/span><\/p>\n In the midst of the tabling, Stonewall Center Coordinator and junior communications major Susannah Doepkin shared the reason that this day is commemorated each year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s to remember those whose lives have been lost due to acts of violence against people in the trans community,\u201d said Doepkin.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about how she hoped that this event might impact Western\u2019s students, staff and faculty, Doepkin shared that her wish was for it to first make them uncomfortable \u2014 and ultimately allow them to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI hope it\u2019s a sobering thing because a lot of the time people don\u2019t even think about it,\u201d said Doepkin. \u201cAnd I think that acknowledging it and making you slightly uncomfortable is a good thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With the current political climate of the United States, Doepkin shared that a number of transgender individuals\u2019 rights are in jeopardy, so it\u2019s more important now than ever to offer love and support to that community.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEven things like having gender-neutral bathrooms is a huge thing for people just to feel comfortable in,\u201d said Doepkin, discussing actions that can be taken to support transgender people. Building off this idea, Doepkin also stated that \u201cone of the big things I\u2019ve noticed is pronouns \u2014 addressing pronouns and respecting pronouns \u2014 and even if that\u2019s being an ally to the community and putting your pronouns in your email signature or in a Twitter bio, I think that immediately shows support to the trans community that you\u2019re a safe space for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Although it can be disheartening to hear about the number of transgender people who are still killed in hate crimes every year, Doepkin shared that she has hope for the way things could move in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere were two less names (on the list of trans people killed) than last year, and although that may not seem like a lot, that is at least a small step forward,\u201d Doepkin said.<\/span><\/p>\n If students are interested in learning more about Trans Day of Remembrance and what they can do to support the trans community, they can visit the Stonewall Center in Werner University Center Room 110 or they can utilize web sites such as glaad.org to learn more about transgender issues.<\/span><\/p>\n
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