At the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Downtown Crossing Nov. 18, around 300 people, including a drag performer and transgender speakers, gathered for the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance and the 20th Anniversary of Rita Hester’s Death. Candles shimmered in their hands to remember Rita Hester and hundreds of other victims of hate crimes around the world.

 

Rita Hester, an African-American, transgender woman, was stabbed to death in Allston on November 28, 1998, only two days before her 35th birthday. Hester’s death ignited a movement within transgender communities around the world, encouraging people to stand up for themselves against discrimination.

 

Transgender Day of Remembrance started 20 years ago after Hester’s murder in Boston. Since then, it has spread to 29 countries around the world. In New England, twelve events were held this year.

 

In recent years, the death toll of transgender people murdered due to hate violence has steadily increased from 21 in 2015 to 29 in 2017, according to the data from the Human Rights Campaign. So far this year, at least 24 transgender people were murdered in the United States.

 

The event at Cathedral Church started with a march from Dewey Square to Boston Common. After the march, people went back to the church for speeches, performances, the Vigil and dinner. Each attendee wore name tag illustrating their gender preference and greeted one another with handshakes and hugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tamra Tucker, the pastor in charge, gave a  welcome speech and emphasizing that St. Paul accepts everyone no matter what their gender preferences. Restrooms in the church were marked with paper signs that said “gender-neutral bathroom” on this day.

 

The event featured a group of people from the Trans Health division of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

 

Mary Rain, a transgender woman who said the program had helped her, spoke about her experience as a homeless and transgender person.

 

“I thought about suicide,” she said, her voice trembling.  “But I found strength in the [transgender surgery] process.”

 

She said she wanted to  let every transgender person know “there is a hope.”

 

“We will not be silent because our voices had to be heard,” she said.

 

The event also featured Semi Sweet, a drag performer who danced across the hall in a jacket embellished with crystal rhinestones and a pink bodysuit to Lady GaGa’s song “Born this Way”. The audience stood up, clapped, howled and sang.

 

Volunteers were scattered inside of the church to pass out candles and flyers. Jane Gillette, a math tutor, and her wife Sylvia Scharf, an educator at the New England Aquarium, took their 2-year-old daughter to volunteer at the event together. Gillette and Scharf were married on the National Coming Out Day in 2008.

 

“This is our first time volunteering,” Scharf said, smiling. “ It is very important for us to take our daughter with us because we want her to know all parts of our community and grow up as part of a greater community.”