November 20th was the 8th Transgender Day of Remembrance. An observation of the day was held on Sunday, November 19th in Oakland's Preservation Park. Photos: 1 | 2 Organizers highlighted the fact that many transgendered women have been assaulted on the streets near Preservation Park. This event was also a way to let neighbors know that there is a trans community outside of San Francisco, which is generally seen as the Queer Mecca. At least two prominent killings of trans people have occurred east of San Francisco in recent years- those of Gwen Araujo in Newark, and Alfred Dibble in Stockton.

One theme that was on the minds of event organizers and participants was trans health-- issues such as access to hormones are still largely unaddressed, both in and out of San Francisco. The event was hosted by Tiffany Woods, coordinator of TransVision at the Tri-City Health Center, which "provides a wide spectrum of educational, healthcare, and social services to everyone, without regard to financial position, ethnicity, language, culture, sexual orientation, or any other criterion."

Day of Remembrance Events are held in dozens of cities all over the world every year, in places such as schools, churches, and in the streets. Read more

Transgender Day of Remembrance | Tri-City Health Center (Fremont, Hayward, Livermore) | Remembering Our Dead website | Tranny Talk