It was a solemn occasion at Sakewew High School on Monday evening.
Supporters of the LGBTQ community in North Battleford were on hand for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, to remember those transgender individuals who had been murdered or who died at their own hands.
Candles were lit in memory of those who had died.
Bobbisue Thom, a transgender woman who is with the Battlefords Gender and Sexuality Alliance, hoped the event would bring awareness of the issue.
“The numbers are huge,” said Thom, who cited numbers that show 387 transgender individuals had died from 25 countries.
The real numbers are believed to be even larger from the countries where transgender persons aren’t even identified.
“These are only the ones who have been identified. There are many others, I’m sure, that have slipped through the cracks,” said Thom.
“These people died for the crime of being themselves.”
Thom wanted to raise awareness of the supports that are now in place, such as the Battlefords Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Their website is www.BattlefordsGSA.ca and it can be found on Facebook as BattlefordsGSA.
“We’re here trying to make awareness of the fact the GSA exists,” said Thom, who adds there needs to be more awareness about the dangers that exist for transgender people around the world.
“There needs to be more light shed onto it, because evil grows in the dark,” said Thom. “We need to bring this out into the light.”
