Plans for a candlelight vigil on the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Bowling Green, and recognition of City Council’s first non-binary member were announced Monday evening.
Lindsay Durham, a member of the Bowling Green Human Relations Commission, presented an Honor Roll award to Damon Sherry, “for making history as the first out and non-binary person to serve on council.”
“Not only is this a personal achievement, but it is a triumph for our entire community,” Durham said as she presented the award. “This shows that all identities, expressions of love, and walks of life have a place in our leadership.”
“Representation matters,” she continued. “When people see themselves reflected in positions of power, they know they belong.”
“Thank you for breaking barriers and showing people they belong,” Durham said to Sherry.
Durham also announced plans in Bowling Green to amplify the voices of the transgender community by recognizing Wednesday, Nov. 20, as the 25th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The BGO Pride Association will hold a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m., in the Wooster Green. A community meal will follow in the Green Room of First Presbyterian Church, located next to Wooster Green.
The LGBTQIA community will gather at the vigil to read the names of those who have passed in the last year. But the event is also intended to be a call to action, Durham said.
“We need to push beyond simple remembrance and performative activism to push for changes to the narrative.”
“We must see the intersectionality that race, gender, mental health and education issues bring to the table, as most trans violence is enacted toward black and brown trans women,” Durham said. “We also must acknowledge that trans youth are self-harming at an alarming rate.”
This year, the U.S. has seen the loss of 70 lives to trans violence, she said.
“If we only honor the dead and do not push for change or admit our own compliance in these structures that cause the violence, we are doing nothing to help.”
