Students and community members gathered around an altar and wrote notes to honor and memorialize transgender lives lost to violence, suicide, AIDS and among other struggles. The University Student Union Pride Center hosted an event on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in observance of International Transgender Day of Remembrance, also known as Trans Day of Remembrance.
Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance of lives lost due to transphobia, with the first observance started in 1999 by transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith. According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (GLAAD), Smith created the first vigil and began a tradition to honor the lives lost in the trans community since the loss of Rita Hester, a transwoman who was murdered in 1998.
This event marked the conclusion of Trans Week of Visibility, a week to highlight the issues transgender people face and the progress made by the community.
“It’s an opportunity to shed light on the violence that has happened to trans folks in our community,” said Pride Center manager Martel Okonji. “It’s also recognizing that trans folks exist, and we want to hold value and support, and make sure that we’re highlighting how we can celebrate and honor their lives and experiences.”
As songs by LGBTQ+ artists, including Chappell Roan and Elton John, played in the background, students were given the opportunity to celebrate the trans community while honoring the “transcestors” (trans-ancestors) that came before them.
A craft table offered free pink, blue and white reusable water bottles and stickers with the trans flag to decorate them. Students could also fill mini jars with affirmations and crystals and students could enjoy pastries from a trans-owned business, the Black Forest Bakery.
One trans-student, Joaquine Hemstreet, decorated a bottle while waiting for her friends to arrive. Hemstreet began her journey as a transwoman early this year, after her interest in a feminine style was slowly reignited by a dare with her friends to dress up in their clothes.
“I’d been questioning whether I was trans on-and-off for years, and there’s a slang for ‘when your egg breaks,’ and that is when you realize that you’re trans,” said Hemstreet. “I just felt really powerful wearing women’s clothes and not being hated on for it, since I always wanted to but never got around to doing it outside of secret. It was really nice and liberating feeling that way.”
The event also featured a resource fair which included a variety of campus resources, such as the Klotz Student Health Center and the Pride Center, as well as several community programs such as the Audre Lorde Health Program at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Tarzana Treatment Center and the TransLatin@ Coalition.
Diamond Cruz, an intern at the TransLatin@ Coalition, attended to show support and provide information on their resources, including mental health care, emergency housing, reentry programs, HIV testing and economic and workforce development.
Cruz became involved with the coalition after spending ten years incarcerated. Their reentry program allowed her access to housing in their HOPE House, and an internship in their program.
“This (TransLatin@ Coalition) has offered me a broader stage to sit here and show people, as a transwoman, what we are capable of. There is no limit, the sky’s the limit and it’s obviously open,” said Cruz.
The Pride Center used the gathering to bid farewell to their supervisor, Ren Stone, on their last day of work.
Stone, who joined the Pride Center in 2023, managed daily operations at the center and oversaw events such as biweekly coffee nights and T-Time, a space specifically for trans students. Before joining CSUN, Stone worked as a college access counselor, which was their first experience sharing their gender and sexual identity at a job.
Although Stone mostly had a smooth experience since coming out, they faced challenges in finding the space to fully navigate and explore their identity. Growing up with few LGBTQ+ role models, they now feel grateful for the opportunity to be that figure for others.
“I think one of the best privileges I have is to really be the queer and trans adult that I really wish I had when I was younger– and I think if I had (that), maybe I would’ve been able to dive deeper into my identity at an earlier age,” said Stone. “But regardless, I have no regrets.”
Stone wanted to bring that same lens of supporting students to CSUN’s campus, to try and educate students about LGBT issues and become more inclusive. They also wanted to make the Pride Center as open and welcoming as possible.
“Whether they’re out to others or not, whether they’re still questioning their identities, everyone is welcome in the Pride Center, and those who don’t identify as LGBT are welcome at the Pride Center,” said Stone. “There’s always spaces and places for folks to be in community.”
The Pride Center will be hosting ‘Study with Pride’ days on December 9 and 11 to help prepare students for finals.
For more information on the Pride Center, their events and social media links, visit their page on the CSUN website.
