[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 166 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    IN OBSERVANCE OF THE 15TH ANNUAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 20, 2013

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in observance of 
the 15 Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
  Fifteen years ago, the tragic murder of transgender musician Rita 
Hester in Boston offered our nation a glimpse into the daily struggle 
and injustice suffered by transgender Americans. In honor of her 
memory, transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith founded the first 
Transgender Day of Remembrance in 1998 as an occasion to remember all 
those who have been lost due to violence and prejudice against 
transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Despite significant 
advances in the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
(LGBT) equality in recent years, many people do not realize or 
recognize that transphobia exists, and transgender individuals continue 
to face discrimination in every major aspect of their day-to-day lives.
  Tragically, members of the transgender community are too often the 
victims of hate-motivated violence. Each year around the world, 
hundreds of transgender individuals of all ages--particularly 
transgender women of color--are brutally attacked, injured, or murdered 
simply because of who they are, and the list of names to memorialize 
grows ever longer. In 2013 alone, this figure topped 238 lives lost, 
but we know that the real number of deaths is much higher as many cases 
go unreported and uninvestigated.
  All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, as well as 
live free from fear of discrimination and harm. For transgender 
individuals, the lack of access to culturally competent health care, 
disproportionate rates of poverty and homelessness, resorting to 
survival sex or attempting suicide, maltreatment by law enforcement, 
and employment discrimination remain serious challenges to their well-
being. As a nation, we must do more to address these issues, root out 
stigma and racism, and foster greater inclusion in our society.
  At the federal level, one of the immediate steps that we can take to 
protect the rights of transgender individuals is to pass the Employment 
Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA), a bipartisan measure that 
strengthens basic employment protections for all Americans and, in my 
opinion, is long overdue. On November 7, 2013, the Senate sent a clear 
message that employer discrimination based on sexual orientation or 
gender identity should be outlawed when it passed ENDA by a vote of 64-
32. I urge Speaker Boehner to reconsider his position and allow the 
House to vote on passage of a fully inclusive ENDA as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, transgender rights are human rights. As we observe the 
15th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, let us not only remember 
the lives of all those whom we have lost to transphobic hate, but honor 
their memory and sacrifice by recommitting ourselves to making a 
difference in the lives of LGBT individuals and other vulnerable 
communities as a whole. I will continue working tirelessly with my 
colleagues in Congress, the Obama administration, and civil rights 
advocates to ensure that our laws recognize LGBT persons and provide 
them with equal opportunities to succeed.

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