Candles were lit Wednesday evening for the 26th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance events in Syracuse and Watertown. ACR Health Q Center Coordinator Charlie Rosamilia says at least 36 transgender or gender non-conforming people were murdered in the past year. They say support for LGBTQ members happens with simple gestures.
“Saying people chosen names and using the pronouns and acknowledging who they are. When we know that sometimes unsupported families or the media can misrepresent our fellow LGBTQ folks who are lost due to violence.”
Recent rhetoric during and after the presidential race has targeted transgender people. Rosamilia says there was a 700 percent increase in calls to a LGBTQ suicide hotline immediately after the election.
“It's not a matter of having an opinion on well, what's causing that. People are scared," Rosamilia said. "And a lot of the folks we serve are scared. We do have the luxury of being in New York State and having passed Proposition One will hopefully help secure a lot of the rights that we have for our transgender expansive and gender non-conforming folks in our state.”
Rosamilia says regardless of who’s in power, there’s always a constant flow of anti-trans bills. NPR reports Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation that would ban transgender women from using facilities on federal property— like bathrooms and locker rooms — that do not correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. The legislation is a follow up to a similar measure the Congresswoman introduced on Monday that was limited to facilities on the House side of the U.S. Capitol. The change comes about two weeks after Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware became the first openly transgender individual elected to Congress.
Rosamilia says the Q Center opens the door to discussion about these issues, and to connect people with support services in a safe, caring environment. November is Transgender Awareness Month.
