[:en]“You have extinguished my smile, but you have not silenced my voice.”.
November 20th is the International Day of Remembrance for People Killed by Transphobia, known worldwide as TDoR (Transgender Day of Remembrance). The day was established in memory of Rita Hester, a victim of transphobic murder; a candlelight vigil in her memory was held for the first time on November 20, 1999, in San Francisco.
The report on the murders of trans people, from January 2008 to September 2020, records 3,664 trans victims worldwide (Africa 18, Asia 303, Central and South America 2,894, Europe 159, North America 280, Oceania 10), 350 of whom occurred in the last year: 38% were killed on the street and 22% at home; the average age is 31, and 98% of the victims are trans women and 62% are sex workers.
Italy, with 42 cases in thirteen years, holds the sad distinction of being the European leader in transphobic murders. This year, many LGBT+ organizations in Lazio gathered online to commemorate the victims, including Rieti LGBT+ and the Arcigay Association. Several transphobic murders have also occurred in our region, and the organizations remembered the victims: a young trans girl found on a mattress on the banks of the Tiber; Steffany, found on the side of the road in Tor Sapienza; a trans woman found in her apartment in Frosinone; Laura, stabbed and found in a pool of blood in the EUR district; Ximena, fished out of Lake Nemi; and Andrea, beaten to death near Termini station. This day represented a shared reflection and a moment of unity, remembrance, and sharing for all of Lazio.
