Trans Day of Remembrance Officially Recognized by King County in 2023
 

Gender Justice League is proud to have worked alongside STANCE Choir and Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound to have Trans Day of Remembrance finally recognized by King County this year.

We wish to thank Dow Constantine and King County for recognizing TDOR as a marker of the historical and continuously escalating violence faced by our communities, and as not only a time of mourning, but a celebration of the rich lives lost and a reminder of our collective responsibility to push for change.

The official King County proclamation: 

 

King County Proclamation PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance, founded in 1999, honors the memory of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman whose murder remains unsolved, and highlights the ongoing violence faced by the transgender community; and WHEREAS, King County joins more than 200 cities in 21 countries in recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance as a solemn occasion to reflect upon the injustices faced by the Two-Spirit, trans, and gender-diverse communities – not only a time of mourning, but a celebration of lives lost to violence, and a reminder of our collective responsibility to support, educate, and advocate for change; and WHEREAS, in King County, reports of 59 gender identity-based hate crimes from 2019 to 2021 and the murders of three trans individuals between 2019 and 2022 underscore the urgent need for community action against discrimination and violence; and WHEREAS, the Two-Spirit, trans, and gender-diverse community in King County, representing a significant portion of our population, continues to face disproportionate violence, particularly impacting trans women of color, with 88 percent of the victims in 2023 being people of color, and over half being Black trans women; and WHEREAS, the escalating violence against the trans and gender-diverse community, often fueled by systemic biases and misinformation, underlines the importance of legal protections and accurate representation in combating transphobia and hatred; and WHEREAS, the lives mourned today are not just names, but valued community members, including Zoey Martinez and Summer Taylor, whose untimely losses remind us of the preciousness of each life and the urgency of our commitment to safety and equality for all. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dow Constantine, King County Executive, do hereby proclaim November 20, 2023 to be Transgender Day of Remembrance in King County. I urge all County residents to join in this observance.