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A Resolution recognizing November 20, 2021 as Transgender Day of Remembrance in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee.
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WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of transgender people around the world whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance was established in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in remembrance of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance has been observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries; and
WHEREAS, the annual event provides a forum for transgender communities and allies to raise awareness of the threat of violence faced by gender variant people and the persistence of prejudice felt by the transgender community; and
WHEREAS, many communities organize events and activities to create and promote visibility of anti-transgender violence to stakeholders such as police, the media, and elected officials; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council recognizes that transgender members of our society are disproportionately affected by hate crimes and violence, and experience myriad challenges in their daily lives, including discrimination, disproportionately high levels of unemployment, and limited access to health care; and
WHEREAS, in 2019 the American Medical Association declared violence against the transgender community to be an epidemic; and
WHEREAS, organizations such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) report that advocates have tracked at least 43 transgender or gender-nonconforming people who have died by violent means so far in 2021, and we would be remiss not to mention the many members of this community whom we have lost due to complications from COVID-19 in an environment in which transgender and gender-nonconforming people often face significant disparities in acce...
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