Cal State LA commemorates Trans Day of Remembrance and Celebration

Cal State LA hosted a Trans Day of Remembrance and Celebration on Wednesday at the University-Student Union Plaza. The event was sponsored by the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, which is part of the Cross Cultural Centers.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed annually on Nov. 20 to honor the memory of the transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

At the campus event, Mario Pizzaro Rojas, coordinator of Cal State LA's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, shared the significance of the celebration.

"This event is a day to commemorate the lives lost this year due to transphobia, as well as to celebrate trans lives in our Golden Eagle community," said Mario. "Here, at Cal State LA, we try to find multiple ways to support and uplift our trans community every year and every day. There is a lot of work to be done, and we continue to do the fight."

During the event, students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to visit an altar in remembrance of 30 transgender individuals whose lives were lost this year due to hate crimes and to shop at a silver jewelry vendor booth in support of the transgender community.

Attendees also enjoyed free tacos from queer-owned food truck Cerda Veja and a de-stressing activity with coloring sheets and zines during the afternoon.

There was also a resource fair featuring AltaMed Grow Proud focusing on HIV and STI prevention and health education workshops, the Center for the Study of Genders and Sexuality Studies, the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the student organization TQC, which stands for trans-queer connection.

Psychology senior Monserrat discussed the TQC student club and how it can bring about unity on campus.

"Our club, TQC, focuses on community building and having a safe space for everyone who is queer and trans," said Monserrat. "I think that right now with the political climate of the country and the current state of a lot of people, mental health-wise, it is really important to have unity and to have a safe space where we can all feel like we belong and where we can freely be ourselves. There is hope and power in unity."

Monserrat added: "For this event, it is important that Cal State LA along with other schools are hosting these types of events because it is about visibility and recognizing not just the victories but unfortunately also the losses. This event recognizes the struggles that we face day-to-day but also highlights the journey that we are going through and what we need to overcome."

Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Hester's death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.