In conjunction, with the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) 2009, TiltedWorld will sign the Internation Appeal to Reject Transphobia and Respect Gender Identity. You can contribute your voice against homophobia too,  by emailing your name or the name of your organization to contact@idahomophobia.org and you or your organization will be added to the list of signatories.

From the official websiteof IDAHO 2009:

Update (May 27):

Why an International Day against homophobia and transphobia ?

In 2008, sexual relations between persons of the same sex were punishable by death in 7 countries and considered to be some form of crime in more than 80 others. In most countries in the world, people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual, intersex, queer, … community are being denied their fundamental human rights as defined, inter alia, by the Universal Declaration of Human Right, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Day has been launched with the idea of creating a worldwide community of activists and committed people, sharing the ideal of a world without homophobia nor transphobia in which everyone can freely choose their own sex life and gender identity.

The origin

In 2005, Louis-Georges Tin, university professor, intellectual, and homosexual rights activist, took the initiative of launching a International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, and founded the IDAHO Committee, an international association aiming at developing this initiative.

Since then, hundreds of associations in more than 50 countries have used the Day to bring about public and political mobilization for LGBT rights.

In addition to being adopted by associations and movements, the Day is now officially recognized by a growing number of countries, provinces, regions, cities, including :
Mexico
Costa Rica
The UK
France
Belgium
the Netherlands
Luxembourg

the European Parliament

And maybe soon Bolivia and surely many others to come

Why May 17 ?

May 17 was chosen because the date is the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s May 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.

This victory of the lesbian-gay-bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cause was a historic step towards considering freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity as a fundamental basic human right.

Actions…

Countless activities are organized by associations all over the world. The IDAHO Committee itself also organizes seminars, events, and conferences every year.

In 2006, the IDAHO Committee launched a petition in favor of universal decriminalization. This petition was supported by many international associations, including ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and also by many famous people throughout the world : 5 Nobel Prize winners (including Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu), 10 Pulitzer Prize winners (including Edward Albee and Tony Kushner), political leaders (such as Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, and Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner), prominent intellectuals like Noam Chomsky and Judith Butler, and celebrities including Victoria Abril, Merryl Streep, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Elton John, etc.

…And results

On the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2005, the first public gay and lesbian demonstrations were held in China, Congo, and Bulgaria. These were historic events in each country concerned. In 2006, the IDAHO Committee co-organized the first Moscow Gay Pride.

Results of these activities are not, of course, always solely attributable to the IDAHO Committee or the World Day against Homophobia.
Nonetheless, our work makes a significant contribution to advances in LGBT rights by creating a unique moment when mobilization takes place all over the world, generating in its turn other forms of mobilization and showing policy makers the collective strength of the worldwide LGBT movement.

Organisation

The World Day against homophobia is facilitated by the IDAHO Committee, an international organization created to support, disseminate, and coordinate the Day at international level.

The IDAHO Committee is a confederal network. At national and regional levels, ad hoc coordination mechanisms have been set up to coordinate activities, disseminate information and spur people to action.

A close friend of mine, Josh dropped me an email earlier this evening about a video compilation of various people from all around Singapore talking about homosexuality and the wonderful people they know who have embraced it as part of their identity. Suffice to say it caught my eye; it was the promotional piece for the upcoming Pink Dot event to be held in Singapore this coming May 16th – but despite my interest in the event (which I applaud Singaporeans for taking an active stand), I am perhaps more impressed by the spirit of the interviewees who speak of their friends and family with the utmost pride.

Not shame, not fear, nor of anger – but of pride; full distinguished accepting pride. Because pride is after all what we should all feel when it comes to our sexuality, no matter who we are. Sexuality cannot be defined by race, or color, or status, nor nationality even; it is something I feel everyone should understand and learn more about, rather than hide from.

Watching the video, it reminds me of the earlier days I spent trying to open my parents up to life knowing they have a gay son living under their roof. The earlier days my family pretends that my sexuality is something shameful to the family; to speak of it openly, even amongst ourselves is taboo. The video in its own way, now reminds me of the family I have today – who openly acknowledges that I am who I am, and what my dad playfully likes to refer to as the bengkok (literally “bent”) son, whom no matter what – is still family and for that, will always be loved. It is the same spirit I see in them that I see in the video; on the faces of the people who speak of homosexuality and the people they love.

Pride.

In that way, I feel Malaysia has yet a long way to go in these matters – but that doesn’t mean I ever give up hoping for the day we could all stand as one beneath the flag that unites us all as a nation, the same way all Singaporeans stand united in the foreignness that is sexuality. The East, majorly – has a long way to go yet regarding the full acceptance of different sexualities as part of our identities, but as the Western world progresses, so will we.

To that, before I sign off -  I salute and applaud once again to our neighbors in Singapore for this stand for the unity of differences in sexuality. May the 16th of May mark a great victory in your calendar for change, which in some way – I hope will pave the road for the many other nations in the East to someday follow in your footsteps; a statement to the world that sexuality is not a crime nor a defect. It is our identity. Godspeed.

United we stand; in pride we hold.

Dear all,

In conjunction with the international womyn’s day, a bunch of us (the no name collective), Innerview and Katagender will be organizing a few things to commemorate the struggles of our sisters.

Details:
date: 7th March 2009, saturday
time : 11.00 am – 5.00 ish
venue : rumah FNBKL/PONYO

PROGRAMME
1. Sexuality workshop by Katagender
What is the Malaysian preoccupation with sex? What does our sexual identity have to do with what we can say, do, expect or demand? Is sexuality a private issue or a matter of public interest? Do Malaysians have any rights when it comes to sexuality?

2. DIY cloth pad
We are finally gonna do this. i quote my friend, “tak radical la kalau beli kotex (please replace brand if you dont use kotex)!!!” For this session please bring your own cloth (the older and softer the better. and no polyester or nylon. flannel shirts and pyjamas would be best), good morning towels, ole terrycloth towels, needle and thread, stud buttons. The average womyn will use around 17,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime and pads and tampons are made from products which non-biodegradable.

3. Movie creening + discussion
Libertarias or Leila Khalid: Hijacker. Both films are equally good and they talk about particpation of womyn in revolution.

4. Picnic
The whole event is called the radical feminist picnic (how awesome is that name?). so yeah, we need to have a picnic. to our benefit, we have a park right in front of the house so we will have the picnic there and some of the events in the park out there. we’ll have food, music,company and trees. now it sounds like a hippie event. oh well.

5. Print your own t-shirts
A friend of us from Innerview designed something for the event. So if you bring your own t-shirts, you’d be able to print them yourself. We are going all out with this DIY thing.

For more information on Womyn’s Day, you can check out www.mockmeat.wordpress.com.

Hope to see you there at the picnic!

As some of you may remember, an event called “Tomboys & Angels Fashion Show” was organised in The Annexe Gallery last month. The show was raging, flaming fun, and our audience had a great time.

This is the flyer, designed by Jun Kit (who was also stylist for the show).

In conjunction with Art For Grabs Xmas Special, The Annexe Gallery presents TOMBOYS & ANGELS, a fashion show extravaganza that celebrates gender diversity and outrageous individual expressions of style. The fashion show will feature clothes, accessories and works of art from over forty Art For Grabs arts & crafts stalls, with styling and make up by a team of some of KL’s most vibrant emerging style-meisters led by Jun Kit and Ooi Ying Nee. The catwalk will be an installation that mixes politics and irreverence designed by Lainie Yeoh. From the Tomboys & Angels Fashion show Facebook event page

This is the first post of a series to show you how the show came about (I couldn’t take pictures *during* the event since I was backstage). Some photographs of the preparations before we bumped in our gear to The Annexe were taken. All pics below courtesy of Johnny Mcgeorge, taken during one of the nights we were making accessories, and trying them on for size.

Making accessories. These colourful letters were cut out to assemble into HUGE necklaces. I have a “TOMBOY” one hanging in my room now, and I love it. And now, more photos of the organisers and friends dressing up with stuff designed for the show:
Jerome Kugan, organiser. Works at The Annexe Gallery. Generally awesome and fabulous.

Winnie Ooi (or, Ying Nee, whichever moniker you know her by), who worked very hard co-organising so the show would be a success, but fell sick a few days before the actual event. My ex-colleague for a veeeery brief time in The Nut Graph.

Lainie Yeoh, er, that’ll be me. Am I the only one who finds it awkward to caption / pimp out myself?

Zedeck Siew was there, and subjected to our various fancies of dressing him up with these accessories and taking photographs. Zedeck is currently my colleague at The Nut Graph (and ex-Kakiseni-colleague, and ex-housemate in Bangsar).

That’s the first run of photographs — more to come soon, of the models, make-up artists, runway  and whatever else I can find. Meanwhile, you can read the interview on Fridae.com (a website you should be familiar with): Fashion show to celebrate gender diversity in Kuala Lumpur, Dec 20

Ani DiFranco performing acoustic version of “Out of Range”

I was locked
into being my mother’s daughter,
I was just eating bread and water
thinking nothing ever changes,
and I was shocked
to see the mistakes of each generation
will just fade like a radio station
if you drive out of range

If you’re not angry
you’re just stupid
or you don’t care
How else can you react
when you know
something’s so unfair
The men of the hour
can kill half the world in war
make them slaves to a super power
and let them die poor

There’s one big reason to visit Singapore come 10 Feb, 2009. Grammy award winner, Righteous Babe Records owner, feminist icon and lesbian favourite singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco will be performing in the Esplanade.

I love the woman’s work, I do. And while I might slide off my chair at the idea of some idol worshipping in Singapore, budget and time constraints will most likely prevent me from doing so (sponsors, anyone?). Still, for those who are fortunate enough to have the opportunity, head on down to Singapore for Ani’s gig.

More information available at the SISTIC website.

20th Dec: I was just done with helping organise a queer-related fashion show at the Annexe.

Yuki suggested we follow up by attending the “lesbian fashion show” at Club 69, in Asian Heritage Row. It seemed like a good suggestion – after all, what are the chances of two gender-bending fashion shows being organised in Kuala Lumpur, in a night?

I didn’t know anything else, but the little information I’d been given seemed plausible enough. I will freely believe anyone who says a lesbian-related event is being organised at Club 69 (especially when said informant actually organises such events there).

One of the models from the fashion show.

When I arrived, persons who in all likelihood do not subscribe to heteronormative standards were on duty as front-of-house. This might have turned out to as “some women, who kinda looked like lezzies, were manning the booth as doorbitches”, but that was before I found out who the organisers are.

When I stepped upstairs, I noticed the crowd was largely female. This seems best illustrated by the event’s description of the cover charge:

Cover charge for womyn : RM 30 (plus one drink)
man : RM 40 (plus one drink)

Cause I really think that besides those working there, there really was only one man at the event (though I can’t say I was looking too keenly). Poles lined the floor, for dancing. I spotted some familiar faces from the queer-scene. The fashion show began.

One of the organisers, Pam, gave a speech. Apparently her team was so anxious to have her step up to the mic they even wrote it for her.

The models for tonight were volunteers (I thought they did a good job strutting onstage). And now, some more photos:

After each collection, the fashion designers did a brief Q&A, explaining their designs, and what their stores had to offer.

Prizes were given out, via lucky draw. There were also some belly dancing performances that night:

After the show, I met the organisers, and had a bit of a surprise.

Though quite a lot of people are under the impression that Womyn Like Us (WLU) is a People Like Us (PLU) group, they do not consider themselves as such. The organisers I spoke to, Philo and Pam, clarify that they are a womens’ group. As in, “not gay women”, but “women in general”.

That being said, WLU events are popular with certain segments of the lesbian community, to the extent that their events may look somewhat lesbian-centric. With regards to the queer-community, I think quite a few have staked this event as one of their own. So womens’ group, PLU group, whichever it is, this post is going up.

I found out (belatedly) that the fashion show was a charity event, to raise funds for building a home for differently-abled women (womyn, if you will).

You can find out more about Womyn Like Us from their website. To find out more about the event, Fashion with Passion, read these posts:

Tres Chic! (event promo and flyer)

Fashion with Passion (charity details)

Facebook event page

Stay tuned, people. I will be updating soon on the Tomboy & Angels Fashion show!

[Update]

Note: I just realised some of the people participating that I called “fashion designers” may be owners of businesses that sell fashion apparel they sourced from other locations, without necessarily having designed them.

Many members of the LGBT were preoccupied with work for the coming World Aids Day 2008. Many more were unable to make it on that weekend. But it was a day to remember for the 20 plus people who came for the inaugural Transgender Day of Remembrance 2008 in Malaysia. It was a day people will talk about; a day of mourning and hope for a better future for us who are different. Some were curious straights while some were just there to watch the movie due to be shown. But all of them left with the message in tact, one that prays for compassion and a wish to be loved for who we are.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance Malaysia 2008 was held at the Annexe Gallery within Central Market on the evening of 22^nd of November, and we were fortunate to be able to get a proper room instead of the café place with many thanks to the owner. The movie “Jihad For Love” was cancelled due to fear of authorities, and 2006 Korean movie with a spot of empathy for transgenders called “Like A Virgin” was screened instead.

The names of those murdered all across the world, from our country to the States and Southern America and even to Iraq, were called out one by one, and everyone responded. We acknowledged every each name saying “We Will Remember” as one by one, every person in the room lighted one candle in memory of each death. Some even went to dedicate another name with another candle, and a shy straight student also requested for a candle for one of the deaths. That was the theme for us. “We Will Remember”, indeed.

A minute of silence and prayer ensued, and I personally dedicated the evening to my first candle lit for Gwen Araujo 6 years ago. It was then many realized how important it is for us to view transgenders as human beings capable of living a life just as anyone else. That we are people deserving of life. Some of those who died were shockingly young, and had their entire lives deprived from them. And as we remember our dead, it is good also to remind ourselves that many of such killings worldwide were not reported, especially in Muslim countries like Malaysia. And a lot of them were tortured before their death.

Everyone especially transgenders across the world already shared what was need to be said on this day. And when the candles continue to burn throughout the movie, one thought that came to my mind was the spirit I realized we need to let the flame of life burn brightly in our hearts. Building respect and understanding on the value of human life should be at the forefront of advocacy against transphobia. There is a dire need for education on diversity and equality, especially dealing with people who are different than us. Only with that can we stop these merciless murders, and create a true environment of love.

I thank the members of the “collective with no name” for working with me on this event.

Some thoughts from a member of the audience:

They are human beings too. They should be treated like one!

Chris from Memphis dropped us a letter:

Hi,
Please know that you are not alone in having to deal with bigoted
authorities. I’m writing from Memphis, TN, USA, and police brutality
and hate crimes (no doubt largely driven by religion) is a serious
problem here with regard to trans women of color. I wish you the best
in trying to stay safe and keep others safe. It seems that we have a
lot in common when it comes to religious bigots who insist on trying
to make life as miserable as possible for an already vulnerable
population. You see, most people around here are nice and there are
people who equally value all human life here. But even the ones who
are ‘nice’ often unfairly think that anyone would willingly choose
this life. We in Memphis will remember your struggles, as they are
part of a larger push for the right to live full lives without the
fears of economic deprivation from not being able to find employment
and the possibility of being killed by someone who is offended by our
existence.

-Chris

Sean-Michael of Gender Divercity also wrote to us. A hat-tip for Chris and Sean-Michael’s messages, and many thanks for Sean-Michael for providing us the full list of names of transgenders who are to be remembered:

Dearest friends in Malaysia,

My name is Sean-Michael and I’m a man who was born “female” and has since transitioned to my proper gender.

As we gather in Arizona, USA on the steps of the state capitol, my thoughts will be with you. Each year we read the names of those we know of who have died, and each year, there are candles lit for those we do not know about. This year I plan to make an altar specifically for those whose deaths are hidden, and unknown. I will bring yukichoe’s letter with me, and will post it prominantly on the altar so others are aware. I will also ask the woman who runs our local TDoR to please allow me to read your letter so that we can take a moment of silence to remember our fallen siblings in Malaysia and elsewhere that we have not been made aware of. May your TDoR be filled with hope for a day when we will be allowed to live freely and safely as ourselves all over the world.

Sean-Michael

http://genderdivercity.blogspot.com

Here is a list of those who are known. There are also 2 Iraqi women who are currently not shown on this list who died just like Ali, executed for being trans.

Kellie Telesford
Location: Thornton Heath, UK
Cause of Death: Strangled
Date of Death: November 21, 2007
Kellie was strangled to death with a scarf, by 18 year old Shanniel Hyatt, who then covered the body of 39-year-old Kellie Telesford with a white blanket – with the brown furry scarf used to choke her still bound tightly round her neck. Hyatt said he killer her after discovering she had a penis.

Brian McGlothin (Liked to dress in Women’s clothes)
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Cause of Death: Shot in the head with an automatic rifle by Antonio Williams who is serving a six year sentence. Brian was 25 years old.
Date of Death: December 23, 2007

Gabriela Alejandra Albornoz
Location: Santiago, Chile
Cause of Death: Attacked and stabbed
Date of Death: December 28, 2007

Patrick Murphy (Found Dressed in Women’s clothes)
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Cause of Death: Shot several times in the head
Date of Death: January 8, 2008
Patrick was 39 years old.

Stacy Brown
Location: Baltimore, MD
Cause of Death: Shot in the head
Date of Death: January 8, 2008
Stacy was 30 years old.

Adolphus Simmons
Location: Charleston, SC
Cause of Death: Shot to Death (Aldophus was 18 yrs. old)
Date of Death: January 21, 2008

Fedra (a known transvestite)
Location: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Cause of Death: Was found lying face up in a pool of blood; cause of death was not reported.
Date of Death: January 22, 2008

Ashley Sweeney
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Cause of Death: Shot in the head
Date of Death: February 4, 2008
The age of Ashley Sweeney is unknown, she was only described as a young transgender woman in a press release.

Sanesha (Talib) Stewart
Location: Bronx, NY
Cause of Death: Stabbed to Death
Date of Death: February 10, 2008
Sanesha was 25 years old.

Lawrence King
Location: Oxnard, California
Cause of Death: Shot to death by a classmate because he was openly gay and liked to wear women’s clothes. (Lawrence King was 15 years old.)
Date of Death: February 12, 2008

Simmie Williams Jr.
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Cause of Death: Shot to death, Simmie was found wearing women’s clothing. (Simmie was 17 years old.)
Date of Death: February 22, 2008

Luna (no last name reported)
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Cause of Death: Brutally beaten to death and tossed into a dumpster.
Date of Death: March 15, 2008

Lloyd Nixon
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
Cause of Death:Repeatedly beat in the head with a brick.
Date of Death: April 16, 2008
Lloyd was 45 years old.

Felicia Melton-Smyth
Location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Cause of Death: brutally stabbed to death by Francisco Javier Hollos, who said he killed her because she would not pay for sex. Felicia was an HIV activist on vacation from Wisconsin.
Date of Death: May 26, 2008

Silvana Berisha
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Cause of Death: Stabbed to Death
Date of Death: June 24, 2008

Ebony (Rodney) Whitaker
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Cause of Death:Shot (Ebony was 20 yrs. old)
Date of Death:July 1, 2008

Rosa Pazos
Location: Sevilla, Spain
Cause of Death: Was found in her apartment, she had been stabbed in the throat.
Date of Death: July 11, 2008

Juan Carlos Aucalle Coronel
Location: Lombardi, Italy
Cause of Death severely beaten causing fractures to the head and face before being run over by a car.
Date of Death July 14, 2008
Juan Carlos was 35 years old.

Angie Zapata
Location: Greeley, Colorado
Cause of Death: She was found in her home with two severe fractures in her skull. Angie was murdered by 31 year old Alan Ray Andrade. Angie was 18 years old.
Date of Death: July 17, 2008

Jaylynn L. Namauu
Location: Makiki Honolulu, Hawaii
Cause of Death: Stabbed to Death
Date of Death: July 17, 2008
Jaylynn was 35 years old.

Samantha Rangel Brandau
Location: Milan, Italy
Cause of Death: beaten, gang raped and stabbed numerous times before being left for dead.
Date of Death: July 29, 2008
Samantha was 30 years old.

Ruby Molina
Location: Sacramento, California
Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Death: September 21, 2008
Ruby’s naked body was found floating in the American river.
She was 22 years old.

Aimee Wilcoxson
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Cause of Death: undetermined (Police have yet to reveal cause)
Date of Death: November 3, 2008
Aimee was found dead in her bed. She was 34 years old.

Duanna Johnson
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Cause of Death: Shot
Date of Death: November 9, 2008
Duanna was found dead in the middle of the street. She was 42 years old.

Dilek Ince
Location: Ankara, Turkey
Cause of Death:Shot in the back of the head
Date of Death: November 11, 2008

Teish (Moses) Cannon
Location: Syracuse, New York
Cause of Death: Shot
Date of Death: November 14, 2008
Teish was 22 years old.

Ali
Location:Iraq
Cause of Death:executed for being transgender
Date of Death:2008, Month is Unknown
Video of Ali before she was executed: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tDVtjQNfQ

A big Tilted World thanks for everybody who came, and for everyone who sent their prayers and wishes for us in Malaysia, as we sent our collective love to all our brothers and sisters in the world.

“I want people to understand that doing the right thing often does more harm than good. The standard of normal that we aim for is imaginary. People don’t fail to meet the definition of normal gender, but the definitions fail to meet the people. Being born without a vagina was not my problem. Having to get one was the real problem. My “sexual dysfunction” posed less of a threat to my health than the parts of the Syndrome that disabled me. So why is a vagina all I was given to cope with a much greater loss?”

- Tobias K. Davis

Last night, I attended a cold reading of The Naked I, a play in two acts written by Tobias K. Davis as an alternative to the Vagina Monologues, which assumes the stable identity of being female. In Naked, Tobias takes the idea of sex and gender beyond the binary, exploring the voices of transgenders, transexuals, cisgenders, and other gender-variant identities.

* * * * * *

I stumbled into the meeting, panting from a sprint. I thought I was late. I walked in the lounge expecting to see familiar faces but I found out I almost didn’t know anyone who was there. A cap hit me on the waist and fell to the floor. I bent down to pick it up and looked for the owner.

“Hey,” said someone. I saw a guy. A girl. Neither. Either. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Ummm…” I tentatively gave him my name. “I’m Justin.” His handshake was more ‘man’ than mine.

Introductions soon began. We went around the circle. “I’m Mickey. And I prefer the pronouns he/him/his.”

“Jenny. Ze or male pronouns…”

“Eliza. Female pronouns, she, her, hers.”

As the night went on, we read monologues and short plays from Davis’ work. The reading slowly went into discussing the relevance of the characters to our personal lives. I wasn’t straight. But I think I wasn’t a tranny, too. So I kept quiet and listened.

“I’ve had enough of people calling me ‘she’, so I decided if I took T (testosterone), people would start calling me ‘he’.”

“I’ve always been happy about my body, you know, never regretted anything. I mean, yeah, there are some things I’d like to change, but I don’t know, like, I don’t want to change something I’ll regret. It’s just easier to be either man or woman. Right now, I’m both.”

“Today, looking back, I wouldn’t have taken T. I mean, I don’t regret it – but you should dictate what you want to be to the world and not let the world dictate what you are. Now, I walk into a male bathroom and no one bats an eye – it’s something I enjoy – but you know, sometimes, it’s better to be happy with who you are.”

“I wish everyone was like children. They’re so receptive. The 30 year old woman I used the date, well, she’s a single mom, and her 6 year old would always ask me why everyone calls me ‘she’ when I’m a boy. Like I mean, I’ve been screwing with her mom. And she knows it but everyone else doesn’t.”

“When I had a boyfriend, he would tell me all about the male bathroom etiquette.”

He kept looking my way while he was explaining the male bathroom etiquette. I finally spoke. “Really? I never knew there was such a thing. No wonder when I said Hi to the guy standing next to me, he gave me a dirty look.”

Last night, I visited St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s church for the memorial service of Rita Hester, a transgendered member of the community, who was killed 10 years ago. After listening to several speakers who represent various intersections and sections of the community, we walked in the -5 degrees Celsius night carrying candles. We arrived at a plaza, grouped into a circle and started reading the names of those who died this year due to hate crimes.

This year, we remembered (re-member – put them together again in our memories, our visions, and our hopes) Kellie Telesford of Thornton Heath, UK, Brian McGlothin of Cincinnati, Gabriela Alejandra Albornoz of Santiago, Chile, Patrick Murphy of Albuquerque, Stacy Brown of Baltimore, Adolphus Simmons of Charleston, Fedra of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Ashley Sweeney of Detroit, Sanesha Stewart of the Bronx, Lawrence King of Oxnard, CA, Simmie Williams Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Luna of Lisbon, Portugal, Lloyd Nixon of West Palm Beach, Felicia Melton-Smyth of Porta Vallarta, Mexico, Silvana Berisha of Hamburg, Germany, Ebony Whitaker of Memphis, Rosa Pazos of Sevilla, Spain, Juan Carlos Aucalle Coronel of Lombardi, Italy, Angie Zapata of Greeley, CO, Jaylynn L. Namauu of Makiki Honolulu, HI, Samantha Rangel Brandau of Milan, Italy, Nakhia Williams of Louisville, Ruby Molina of Sacramento, Aimee Wilcoxson of Aurora, CO, Duanna Johnson of Memphis, Dilek Ince of Ankara, Turkey, Teish Cannon of Syracuse, Ali of Iraq, and all the other trans women and men around the world who lost their lives to transphobia this year, whose faces we never saw and names we never heard, because they were living on the margins of societies who did not respect nor want them.

(Note: The list of names were taken from Melissa McEwan’s blog, Teaspoon by Teaspoon. She was present last night at the vigil with this to say: “Social justice work is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. But with enough teaspoons and enough time, we will empty it. Each of you have a teaspoon with you. Each of you, by coming here tonight, has chosen to empty that ocean of anger and hate one teaspoon at a time.”)

Dear all,

A bunch of us will be organizing a screening/vigil in conjunction with the Remembrance of Transgender Day.

Following are the details:

Date : 22nd Nov 2008, Saturday
Time : 8.00 pm
Venue : Bau Bau Cafe, Mezzanine Floor, Annexe Central Market
Movie :
A Jihad for Love (81 mins)
A documentary on gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims across the Muslim and Western worlds.

back up
TransAmerica (103 mins)
A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

Why are we celebrating the Remembrance of Transgender Day?

To memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender, each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of transgender people who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect in the face of national indifference and hatred.

On average two transgender people are murdered each month, according to global figures. This year alone 26 transgender people were killed. Out of the 26 recorded murders this year all were brutally violent, apart from one person who died by drowning – a pattern which has repeated over the past ten years and 245 murders. In the Middle East and some parts of Asia and India murders are still rife and often they’re committed by law officials so the deaths are not recorded.

And also to put an end to all sorts of discrimination/hatred/violence against people due to their sexual orientation or identity.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to email me. (I do entertain hate mails as well.)

p/s: please bring your own candles.

We are a collective with no name so please bear with us.

Thank you to Bau Bau Cafe for the venue and Amnesty International for the projector. I think this is also supported by Tilted World and Cinta itu Buta.

I was trying to get out of the Federal Highway that night. I was definitely not comfortable having over half a dozen motorbikes chasing after me. They were kicking my car as it slowly negotiated a temporary jam. Sensing danger I tried to call the police, but my hand phone fell and in the darkness my left hand frantically tried to find it. One of the riders then removed a helmet and crashed it against my door. I was a helpless tortoise target.

Then as the minor jam clears I saw a path to the expressway. I quickly turned into it. They were not supposed to be at the Federal Highway, they were supposed to be at their motorcycle lanes, I thought. But the police cannot stop these “rempit” menace, but then the police likes calling people like me a menace. I sped to the toll booth, and then enter the expressway. I ran at 170 kilometers an hour. The gang of motorcyclists soon vanished behind me. My car light was smashed. The right side of my car dented and there were scratches.

I was targeted by this group who kept on yelling derogatory names as I entered my car after dinner at an Indian-Muslim restaurant. I ignored them as I rushed in. They came with their bikes after me. I am a transsexual female. They are a transphobic motorbike gang. They have every intention of beating the hell out of me. If I died that night, police would just treat me as “john” doe. There would be no reports unless someone noticed I had gone missing and found my body. I may survive, but with an experience that will haunt me.

But I remember. And I am fortunate to still be alive to remember what happened. And I remember those who did not have this opportunity. Because they are dead. They are victims of hate crime and violence. Many have died, and many deaths go unreported because our lives are just not worth the time. But as we all grow and begin to show our faces to society, along with our lives and dreams, people will surely remember our lives.

And we will remember our dead. Today is the Trangender Day Of Remembrance 2008.

Tilted World, remembers.