CONTRIBUTIONS

Why Have A Day Of Remembrance - Copyright © 2004, Kaitlyn Teague

When I decided to help organize the 2004 Transgender Day of Remembrance here in Austin, I sat down and thought about why I should do this. These are my thoughts about it ....

Why have a transgender Day of Remembrance?

I immediately thought of the book of Revelation, chapter 6, verses 9-11:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

Then I happened to read Romans, chapter 12, verses 1-21 next:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:

Prophecy, in proportion to faith;
Ministry, in ministering;
The teacher, in teaching;
The exhorter, in exhortation;
The giver, in generosity;
The leader, in diligence;
The compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

“Men are afraid, women are more afraid, and children are the most afraid. In order to make the world a safe place, we must make it safe for the children.”

When I see those who are like me killed simply because of how they express their gender, I think of how I have hidden out of fear most of my life, and I think of the children who will soon discover that they are transgendered or are attracted to people of the same sex, and I find it is no longer acceptable that they learn to be afraid because of this.

For me, this is why we have a Day of Remembrance. To remember that we are all responsible to make the world safe for each others children, and for us all.