CNN iReport

The diverse Transgender Communities of Second Life are coming together on November 20, 2009 to participate in the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). This is the day that the world sets aside to remember the victims of violence and hatred simply because they are transgender. We will gather at the Transgender Suicide Memorial

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elysium%20Gardens/197/193/22

for 3 candle light vigils throughout the day at 7 am, 12 pm and 7 pm. At the hour long vigils we will feature prominent speakers, such as Gwen Smit (in RL Gwendolyn Ann Smith) and have time to reflect / pray for an end to this senseless violence. In addition there will be displays and art providing information and opportunities for people to take tangible action to help end this hatred.

In 2009 as of October 22, 95 transgender people were murdered for simply living in their true identities. Not only is this tragic it is incredibly wasteful of sorely needed human resources for a resilient society; our strength lies in our diversity not in our compliance to the norm. The Second Life TDOR will happen in conjunction with, as of this writing, 54 RL gatherings worldwide.

The Second Life TDOR is significant for several reasons; it affords any person the ability to participate and contribute to the TG community regardless of presentation or transition status or fear of outing, it is inherently international spanning continents and time zones and it has the capacity to reach a large and influential audience worldwide.

The transgender community and the larger GLBT community is at a crossroads in our culture today. We have the opportunity to achieve tangible civil rights gains and legal validation never before thought possible. The passing of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act (H.R. 2647) affording hate crimes protections to people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity is a “watershed” indicator of the current trends. The fully inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act is slowly working its way through the

House and Senate with the House largely won and the Senate some seven votes short of passing, again and watershed piece of legislation. The 2009 TDOR is occurring a a fortunate time given the pending legislation will have an impact on the violence and discrimination focused on transgender people.

The Day Of Remembrance is November 20, 2009 at the Transgender Suicide Memorial

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Elysium%20Gardens/197/193/22Vigils at 7:00 A.M. 12:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. SLT. We have people available for interviews in advance of the event and during the event and post event.

For more information please contact Winnie Sweetwater via in-world IM or notecard or email winnie_h@yamail.com.

Please partner with us to support this event.

Winnie Sweetwater