[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 165 (Thursday, November 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK AND TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I am proud to be a steadfast ally of the 
LGBT community. This week is Transgender Awareness Week, during which 
we seek to raise the visibility of transgender and gender nonconforming 
people and to bring awareness to the issues this community faces, from 
prejudice and discrimination to acts of violence that have claimed too 
many lives.
  Eighteen years ago, Rita Hester, an African-American transgender 
woman was murdered in Boston, MA. Rita's death ignited fear in the 
transgender community. Her murder also sparked the founding of the 
Transgender Day of Remembrance. On November 20, we remember Rita and 
the all too many transgender individuals who have lost their lives to 
hate-based violence.
  Sadly, the fear that the transgender community feels has not subsided 
in the last 18 years. For the transgender community, and even more so 
for transgender women of color, the fear of violence is still all too 
real. In 2015, at least 21 transgender individuals in the United States 
were victims of fatal violence. This year, we have already reached that 
same number of transgender deaths attributable to violence, reflecting 
more such deaths than in any other year in which advocates have kept 
records. This is both saddening and maddening.
  Too many of these victims' stories go untold, but through the 
Transgender Day of Remembrance, many of these individuals silenced by 
violence get a small voice. This day is a reminder that no person's 
life is worth less than another's because of who they are or whom they 
love. We must continue to do all we can to stop the marginalization of 
the transgender community, to stop the discrimination, and to stop the 
violence.
  In 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, 
Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It was the first Federal law to provide 
civil rights protections for transgender people, and it was a step in 
the right direction. But it has not been enough to stop the ongoing 
discrimination and violence against the transgender community.
  We still have work to do and need as many voices as possible convey 
that message. This week in particular, but every week as well, we must 
remember all the transgender individuals who have lost their lives to 
violence at home and abroad and continue to work towards a more 
inclusive society, free of violence and discrimination.

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