Transgender Day of Remembrance – 20 Nov

// November 20th, 2009 // Around the globe, Within Australia, Within Victoria

This is an excerpt of a public talk given at Prahran Central on Transgender Day of Remembrance by the AVP Executive Director, Greg Adkins.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Its well past the time we challenge the ignorance and violence that fuels transphobia. The AVP today recommits to this fight and urges all to join us in partnership.

The 20th of November is the Transgender Day of Remembrance and today the Anti Violence Project of Victoria Inc. commemorates transgendered individuals who have been killed or committed suicide worldwide due to discrimination, prejudice and hatred towards the community.

Today, within Victoria, we recommit to continue to raise awareness of the violence, brutality and murder of gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals within our GLBTI community.

Physical and sexual violence against transgendered individuals in Victoria continues to be a starkly brutal exercise of power perpetrated by heterosexual males against people they see as different and less important than them. This power is exercised individually or in groups and when it takes place in the workplace, women can often also be complicit in the violence.

This violence is fuelled by the ignorance in our society surrounding transgender, gender variance and non-gender conforming individuals. This ignorance drives transphobia and homophobia to new depths.

Ignorance and violence fuelling transphobia and homophobia must be challenged through all work undertaken by GLBTIQ community organisations, in all avenues of government activity and within the broader Victoria community, all the way through to every interaction within the gay and lesbian community where transphobia can and still does rear its ugly head, from within our GLBTIQ community.

We call for the positive lessons learned through Victoria Police’s successful community awareness diversity recruit training to drop into cross-government diversity policy. This police training sees the colour and diversity of the transgender community explored alongside all the other letters of GLBTIQ, and multicultural communities.

Today we re-commit to ignite a movement for social change in Victoria that once and for all time challenged the ignorance and violence fueling transphobia and its ugly partner, homophobia.

3 Responses to “Transgender Day of Remembrance – 20 Nov”

  1. Jean says:

    I first had AVP’s assistance in 1999 when I was assaulted in the La Trobe Valley and needed to clear my head and find connections so that I was no longer alone. I now have a wider circle of friends who accept me for who I am rather than judge me by the journey I have taken to find my true self.
    I found the AVP again while googling to check what was happening for the day of remembrance and cannot tell you how pleased I am that you are still there if I need your help.
    My next planning is about how to reconnect with family and test the waters with them. Its not easy but I am in control.

  2. Jules (Brunswick) says:

    Too often melbourne’s lesbian and gay community appear to pay lipservice to the trans community. The anti violence project keeps on being inclusive of trans issues and in many ways leads other groups like the aids council and also to do the same. Keep the conversation going please.

  3. Yeshi says:

    This is appalling. I am a tdresgenanred man, and though I live outside of Indiana now, my very first time out dressed as male was at The Vogue in Broad Ripple. I can recall using the men’s restroom on that particular night, and though I didn’t have any unfortunate run-ins with bigots, I was terrified the entire time. No one should have to be afraid when he or she is simply going out to have a good time! Thank you so much for sharing this story; hopefully, others will take heed of your advice!

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