On Monday, Nov. 20, the Eureka chapter
of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence held a TRANScending the Veil ceremony on
the Arcata Plaza as part of the national Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Attendees lit candles, sang, heard speakers and listened to the names read off
of members of the trans community who died over the past year. Photographer Kait Angus was there to capture highlights of the event.
The annual event to celebrate and mourn
those lost highlights the disproportionate violence, discrimination and high
rates of suicide transgender people face. According to the Human Rights
Campaign, 26 people were killed in acts of anti-transgender violence in 2023. A
2022 survey by the Trevor Project also found more than half of transgender and
nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. For anyone who
may be in need of assistance, the county of Humboldt maintains a 24-hour mental
health crisis line at (707) 445-17715 and a national lifeline can be reached at
(800) 273-8255 or by texting “HELP” to 741-741.
The local event is part of the Sisters’
Trans Week of Resistance, including a panel discussion, speed-friending event,
poetry and art. On Thursday, Nov. 23, a Trans Power Potluck at Eureka’s Labor
Temple caps off the week with community and food the day before
Thanksgiving.
This article appears in Inside Bayview Heights.
