[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 200 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6364-H6366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Ms. Newman) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the transgender 
Americans who must fight every day for their right to live as their 
authentic selves.
  This Saturday, November 20, marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, a 
day to honor the memory of the transgender and nonbinary people whose 
lives were lost this year in acts of violence.
  Tomorrow, I am proudly joining my colleagues and fellow Transgender 
Equality Task Force co-chairs, Representatives Pramila Jayapal and 
Jennifer Wexton, to formally introduce a resolution to nationally 
commemorate this very somber annual observance.
  At least 375 transgender or nonbinary individuals across the globe 
have been killed this year--375. In our Nation alone, it breaks my 
heart to say that, so far this year, the Human Rights Campaign has 
reported at least 46 transgender or gender nonconforming people were 
killed by violent means. We say ``at least'' because we believe this 
number is actually much higher due to the unfortunate prevalence of 
underreporting or misreporting violence against this community.
  They were friends, family, loved ones, parents. They were taken far 
too soon. We must honor their memory with a commitment to fight anti-
trans hate and violence anywhere it exists.
  It is with this commitment that I now read the names of each of these 
Americans into the Congressional Record. May their memory serve as a 
call to action for all of us:
  Tyianna Alexander
  Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin
  Bianca ``Muffin'' Bankz
  Dominique Jackson
  Fifty Bandz
  Alexus Braxton
  Chyna Carrillo
  Jeffrey ``JJ'' Bright
  Jasmine Cannady
  Jenna Franks
  Diamond Kyree Sanders
  Rayanna Pardo
  Jaida Peterson
  Dominique Lucious
  Remy Fennel
  Tiara Banks
  Natalia Smut
  Iris Santos
  Tiffany Thomas
  Keri Washington
  Jahaira DeAlto
  Whispering Wind Bear Spirit
  Sophie Vasquez
  Danika ``Danny'' Henson
  Serenity Hollis
  Oliver ``Ollie'' Taylor
  Thomas Hardin
  Poe Black
  EJ Boykin
  Aidelen Evans
  Taya Ashton
  Shai Vanderpump
  Tierramarie Lewis
  Miss CoCo
  Pooh Johnson
  Disaya Monaee
  Briana Hamilton
  Kier Lapri Kartier
  Mel Groves
  Royal Poetical Starz
  Zoella ``Zoey'' Rose Martinez
  Jo Acker
  Jessi Hart
  Rikkey Outumuro
  Marquiisha Lawrence
  Jenny De Leon
  Madam Speaker, may we honor their memory today and every day.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of Rhode 
Island (Mr. Cicilline), the chair of the congressional LGBTQ-Plus 
Equality Caucus.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, 
for leading us in this Special Order hour, and for saying out loud the 
names of the individuals who we have lost.
  I am proud today to rise in recognition of Transgender Day of 
Remembrance, which we will mark this Saturday, November 20, and in 
remembrance of the transgender and gender nonconforming people whose 
lives were taken this year.
  Madam Speaker, 52 years ago, in the early morning hours of June 28, 
1969, New York City Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar 
in Greenwich Village. It had become a refuge and a well-known gathering 
place for LGBTQI-plus individuals.
  This was the third such raid on Greenwich Village bars in a short 
period of time. Tired of harassment and blatant discrimination, patrons 
began clashing with law enforcement outside the Stonewall Inn on 
Christopher Street.
  This was not the first time LGBTQI-plus people fought back, but these 
clashes sparked an uprising that would unfold over the next 6 days and 
fundamentally change LGBTQI-plus activism in the United States and 
around the world.
  At the forefront of this uprising were transgender and gender 
nonconforming people like Marsha P. Johnson, the P standing for ``pay 
it no mind,'' a common response Marsha would say to questions about her 
gender.

[[Page H6365]]

  Too often, transgender individuals are left out of the story of the 
LGBTQ-plus rights movement, especially transgender women of color like 
Marsha, as well as Sylvia Rivera and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy.
  These three icons and so many other activists like them were and 
continue to be the backbone of the LGBTQ-plus civil rights movement. 
Miss Major, currently in her eighties, continues to fight against the 
disproportionate incarceration rates of transgender people.
  Tragically, so far this year, at least 46 transgender or gender 
nonconforming people have been fatally shot or killed by other violent 
means in our own country. 2021 marks an alarming milestone for the 
transgender community: the deadliest year on record for transgender and 
gender nonconforming people. Let me say it again: the deadliest year on 
record for trans and gender nonconforming people.
  This epidemic of violence particularly affects transgender women of 
color, specifically Black and Latinx transgender women, who make up 
more than three-quarters of the recorded 46 violent deaths this year. 
These deaths are horrific, and we must act to end this violence.
  The right to live freely without fear of persecution or 
discrimination is one that every person needs and deserves. The 
Equality Act adds sexual orientation and gender identity as protected 
classes through existing civil rights law, ensuring that the 
transgender community would have the same protections as everyone else. 
I am so proud that we have passed that out of the House, and it is 
awaiting action from the Senate.
  The 2021 Transgender Day of Remembrance House resolution, of which I 
am a proud cosponsor, commemorates November 20, 2021, as a day of 
remembrance and memorializes the lives lost at the hands of anti-
transgender violence in the United States and around the world. I urge 
all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Now is the time to show solidarity with the trans community. They 
have done the work to bring injustice wrought against the LGBTQI-plus 
community to light. They bear the brunt of violence, abuse, and even 
death. It cannot continue. We must not let it continue.
  Madam Speaker, as we remember the names of the transgender 
individuals who gave their lives for this cause, we honor their legacy 
by continuing the fight to ensure that all people, regardless of gender 
and gender identity, are treated equally and justly in this country.
  Madam Speaker, the forces working against progress are strong, but we 
are stronger. I thank Congresswoman Newman for being one of the co-
chairs of the Transgender Equality Task Force of the Equality Caucus, 
for the good work in developing this resolution, and for leading this 
Special Order hour tonight.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Cicilline, who is an 
amazing champion for the Equality Act and all things LGBTQI. I couldn't 
be more pleased to be his colleague.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), 
a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ-plus Equality Caucus and the 
chairman of the House Veterans Affairs' Committee, where he champions 
legislation to serve our LGBTQ-plus veterans.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Newman for yielding. 
It is a great honor to be here today under such somber circumstances.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Transgender Day of 
Remembrance and Transgender Awareness Week. It is with a heavy heart 
that I recognize that this has been the deadliest year on record for 
our transgender sisters, brothers, and siblings. I want to share with 
you the names of three individuals that we lost in my home State of 
California. I grieve with the families, loved ones, and communities 
that lost these young people far too early for no reason other than 
hate.
  Rayanna Pardo, age 26, was a beloved daughter and sister living in 
East Los Angeles who left behind a family and community that loved her 
deeply. She was lost in March of this year.
  Natalia Smut, age 24, was a celebrated drag artist from Milpitas, 
California. She gave captivating performances and had a courageous and 
creative spirit, and she was described by those who knew her as a jewel 
in her community. She was lost in April.
  Poe Black, also known as Oliver Jackson and Legion, was an 
indigenous, trans-masculine and two-spirit activist and artist. He was 
a tireless advocate who used his social media platform to support 
various social justice causes, including by documenting his transition 
to educate and inspire his followers. He was lost in May.
  Each of these young people leaves behind a network of family, 
friends, and community upon which they have made an indelible 
impression. I join their communities in honoring their light and legacy 
and share in the grief that they were taken from the people who loved 
them.
  It is in remembrance of these three individuals that I say this: 
Transgender Week of Awareness cannot only be about awareness. It also 
must be about action.
  We cannot pretend that the rhetoric heard here in this Chamber and in 
statehouses across the country does not have a direct impact on the 
lives of transgender people. This year, we have seen the introduction 
of over 100 anti-trans bills in State legislatures, whipping up a moral 
panic around the identities of adults and targeting children.
  The dehumanizing debates over whether an individual should have 
control over their own body, whether they should be allowed to compete 
on the athletic field, whether they even exist, these arguments all 
connect directly to the types of attacks that killed Rayanna, Natalia, 
Poe Black, and so many more.
  It is not enough to only recognize the devastating statistics. We 
must also make policy decisions that recognize transgender people for 
who they are.
  Who are they? They are loved ones, community members, family members, 
individuals who add depth and richness to our society and are defined 
by far more than statistics, hatred, or bigotry.
  So this Transgender Remembrance Day, remember those who were lost by 
making noise. Raise your voice against the persistent and dangerous 
misinformation about transgender identity. Raise your voice in 
celebration of loved ones, friends, family, and community members who 
are transgender.
  Raise your voice to support the next generation of transgender and 
nonbinary young people so that they may recognize the great beauty and 
joy in their identity rather than living in fear or shame.

                              {time}  1915

  Now, we cannot bring those who have been lost back to their loved 
ones, but we can play a role in ensuring that other friends, families, 
and communities do not have to suffer a loss like Rayanna's, Natalia's 
and Poe Black's communities did. So I call on my colleagues this year 
to turn awareness into action because making policy that centers on 
safety, equity, and prosperity for transgender people should not be an 
effort that lasts only a week, but it should be all year round and 
throughout the rest of our lives.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Takano for all his 
advocacy and leadership.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley), who is a champion of LGBTQ-plus rights 
and whose intersectional approach is simply inspirational.
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of Transgender Day 
of Remembrance.
  In 1999, Rita Hester, a transgender woman, was murdered in Allston, a 
neighborhood in my district, the Massachusetts Seventh. In response to 
this horrific tragedy, this day was created to memorialize the loss of 
her life and far too many others due to transphobic violence.
  The cruelty of transphobia is a threat that we must confront and root 
out wherever it exists. Whether in music or on television or in the 
hallowed Halls of the Nation's Capitol, there is no place for hatred 
because someone is brave enough to show up exactly as they are and to 
live their truth.
  Yet in 2021, we have seen at least 46 transgender or gender 
nonconforming

[[Page H6366]]

people killed. We have been robbed of at least 46 souls, 
disproportionately Black and Latinx transwomen, and these are only the 
ones who have been properly reported.
  On the floor of Congress, we speak their names:
  Tyianna Alexander
  Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin
  Bianca ``Muffin'' Bankz
  Dominique Jackson
  Fifty Bandz
  Alexus Braxton
  Chyna Carrillo
  Jeffrey ``JJ'' Bright
  Jasmine Cannady
  Jenna Franks
  Diamond Kyree Sanders
  Rayanna Pardo
  Jaida Peterson
  Dominique Luscious
  Remy Fennell
  Tiara Banks
  Natalia Smut
  Iris Santos
  Tiffany Thomas
  Keri Washington
  Whispering Wind Bear Spirit
  Sophie Vasquez
  Danika ``Danny'' Henson
  Serenity Hollis
  Oliver ``Ollie'' Taylor
  Thomas Hardin
  Poe Black
  EJ Boykin
  Aidelen Evans
  Taya Ashton
  Shai Vanderpump
  Tierramarie Lewis
  Miss CoCo
  Pooh Johnson
  Disaya Monaee
  Briana Hamilton
  Kier Lapri Kartier
  Mel Groves
  Royal Poetical Starz
  Zoella ``Zoey'' Rose Martinez
  Jo Acker
  Jessi Hart
  Rikkey Outumuro
  Marquiisha Lawrence
  Jenny De Leon
  And Jahaira DeAlto who was murdered in my district.
  Jahaira, a friend, a mother, and an activist spoke out 22 years ago 
when Rita Hester was killed. As a survivor of domestic violence, she 
advocated for gender affirming shelters and, with kindness in her 
heart, opened her home to queer and trans people with nowhere to go.
  Jahaira DeAlto's compassion will forever be her legacy, alongside her 
legendary status in the ballroom community for serving ``everyday 
realness.''
  While we grieve the loss of loved ones, neighbors, and colleagues, we 
must also hold space to celebrate their lives and the differences they 
make in ours.
  Transgender people are community organizers, military soldiers, and 
justice seekers who have put their bodies on the line domestically and 
abroad to fight for a safe and equitable society. They are artists, 
healers, and entertainers who nurture our soul and spread joy wherever 
they go. Most importantly, transgender people are beacons of hope and 
pillars of courage serving as living testaments of what it means to be 
unapologetically you.
  While transphobia seeks to erase these truths, we must affirm the 
dignity of every member of the trans community.
  So I rise today to remember Transgender Day of Remembrance and 
recommit myself to the work of justice and equity for all people, 
including my transgender siblings in the movement for liberation. Our 
destinies are tied.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Pressley for all her 
great work.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of 
California (Ms. Jacobs), who is a proud sister to a trans brother and 
gender nonconforming sibling.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Newman 
for yielding and thanks to the Equality Caucus for organizing this 
Special Order.

  As the gentlewoman mentioned, I am the proud sister of a trans 
brother and a gender nonconforming sibling. I am also the proud 
Representative of Hillcrest, the heart of San Diego's LGBTQ-plus 
community, so this issue is deeply personal to me and to the people 
whom I love.
  Every time that we hear about another trans person being murdered, I 
think about my siblings and my constituents, and my heart breaks 
because this epidemic of violence has gone on for too long.
  For too long, trans voices have been silenced, ignored, and 
disrespected. Whether they are trying to access healthcare, trying to 
find housing, or even when they are just trying to go about their daily 
lives, our trans neighbors and friends face discrimination, harassment, 
and a pervasive lack of resources.
  Even in this body, we have colleagues actively working to prevent 
equality for the trans community who continue to misgender and 
dehumanize our trans friends and family and continue denying them the 
support they need and are trying to keep them on the margins of our 
society.
  This rhetoric and this anti-trans legislation making its way through 
the country has real-world consequences. With the recent news of the 
killing of Marquiisha Lawrence in South Carolina, 2021 just became the 
deadliest year on record for trans and nonbinary people. This year 
alone at least 45 trans people have been killed.
  It is, at least, because all too often when trans people are killed, 
the details of their lives are misreported. They are misgendered or 
deadnamed in police reports and death certificates. So not only are 
their lives being taken from them, their authentic identity--who they 
really were and fought so hard to be--is also being erased. So we must 
continue to say the names of people like Poe Black and Natalia Smut who 
were killed this year in California.
  Their lives are a reminder that we must continue to fight for trans 
equality especially for transwomen of color.
  As important as it is for us to celebrate the lives of the trans 
people who were taken from us, we also need to celebrate trans people 
when they are still alive. So this Transgender Awareness Week, let us 
commit to uplifting trans people when they are still here not only 
after they are gone.
  I honor the strength and resilience of the trans community. I will 
continue to make their voices heard in the Halls of Congress, and I 
will continue to advocate for the support that they have been denied 
for far too long.
  I want any young person who is watching this to know that they are 
perfect, they are loved, and they are needed in this world exactly the 
way they are, and I will be here every day fighting for them.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jacobs for her kind 
remarks.
  I have one more speaker, Madam Speaker. We have Representative Al 
Green, who is an LGBTQ ally.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  And still I rise, Madam Speaker, as a proud ally of the transgender 
community. And I rise tonight with a special message. This message 
means a lot to me because I truly believe that the pledge is correct. 
We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and 
to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God with liberty 
and justice for all.
  All cannot exclude the trans community. All has to include the trans 
babies and the children in Texas who are having to suffer through 
debates about what they can do athletically. All has to include people 
who lose their lives simply because they are being who they are.
  I rise with a message of I am with you, I am your ally, and I live 
today to live to see the day that transwomen will not have to live in 
fear of dying because of who they are and trans children can grow up 
and simply be children in this country where we pledge liberty and 
justice for all.
  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Green. He is 
absolutely right. All is all and love is love.
  That concludes our Special Order hour. I want to thank each of my 
colleagues this evening for their participation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________