For generations, the transgender population has suffered various forms of abuse (and even death) for challenging views, notions, and stereotypes surrounding what constitutes “masculine” and “feminine” identity.
As such, every year, the United States sets aside November 20 to remember and honor the transgender community, which faces discrimination and stigma across the country. The date also aims to advocate for the rights of transgender individuals, as well as to focus on the persistent struggles they face in their daily lives and how others can share love, support, and hope.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance” was initiated in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was murdered in 1998. The vigil remembered all the transgender individuals lost since Rita Hester’s death and started an important tradition in the country.
Taking advantage of the date, the organization The Human Rights Campaign announced that at least 33 transgender individuals have been killed in the United States since November of last year. Of these deaths, 26 have been recorded this year so far. The organization’s data also shows that most victims were under 35 years old. Last year, the average age of the victims was 28 years.
The Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ individuals earlier this year in response to the growing number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country. Most of these bills aim to limit bathroom use, access to gender-affirming care, and participation in sports by transgender individuals.
In Brazil, it is Black Consciousness Day
Black Consciousness Day is reserved to remember the death of Zumbi – a leader of the resistance to slavery – and to reflect on the tragic injustices imposed on the black community and descendants of Africans since the times of colonization.
This day is part of a social movement dedicated to recognizing the value and contributions of the black people of Brazil, honoring their existence and protesting against racial discrimination.
The idea of celebrating National Black Consciousness Day occurred in 1971 in Porto Alegre, by the poet, teacher, and researcher Oliveira Silveira, during a meeting of the Palmares Group, an association that brought together activists and researchers of Brazilian black culture.
The date proposes reflection on the value and contribution of the black community to Brazil, and debates issues such as racism, social equality, inclusion of black individuals, and the appreciation of Afro-Brazilian culture.
Black Consciousness Day has been part of the official Brazilian calendar since 2011, by decree of President Dilma Rousseff, but is only a holiday in about a thousand municipalities, including Goiânia, João Pessoa, and Florianópolis. This year, for the first time, it is a holiday throughout the state of São Paulo.
A bill proposing the date as a national holiday was approved in the Senate in September 2021, but is still awaiting examination by the Chamber of Deputies.
Source: NationalToday and Agência Brasil