San Mateo County leaders honor Trans Day of Remembrance

“At the precipice of darkness to come, let this flag be a beacon of hope which calls out to the trans and LGBTQIA+ community as a safe place,” Krug said. “May this beacon never be extinguished.” 

At its meeting Nov. 12, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared Nov. 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance. There, LGBTQIA Commissioner Aaron Adriano shared the sobering statistics of acts of violence against the transgender and gender nonconforming community across the country. 

The number of reported cases of transphobic-based hate crimes throughout the nation has more than doubled since 1999, and in the last 10 years, more than one person a month have died nationally, Adriano said. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance has been observed annually since its inception in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender woman, to memorialize the murder of transgender woman Rita Hester. The county has observed the day since 2015. 

When Krug began transitioning last year, she was concerned how her work colleagues would react after being established as a professional, but said she has only been met with support. However, she acknowledges the uniqueness of this situation, and that many are not as lucky. 

“Although the county is transparent about its support for the LGBTQIA community, the misinformation spread about transgender community which has been used for political gain at the national stage is concerning and only emboldens transphobic acts of harassment and violence,” Krug said.

Each year, Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed by naming all whose lives were lost. This past year, between Nov. 21, 2023, and Nov. 20, 2024, the Human Rights Campaign recorded 36 deaths, a slight increase from the year prior. 

Of those who died this past year, 77.8% of victims were transgender women, and half were Black transgender women, according to the HRC. Pauly Likens, who died at 14, is the youngest victim ever recorded since the organization began keeping track in 2013. 

These acts of violence are only heightened when governments enact policies that encourage transphobia, Krug said.

“All people, but children especially, should not have their gender invalidated by local and federal governments,” Krug said. 

One organization in the county looking to support specifically LGBTQIA+ youth in East Palo Alto and surrounding areas is the up-and-coming nonprofit Mariposa Outreach. From the organization, Venus Itzuri Perez-Hernandez said it’s important to remember the resilience of the community, and find comfort in that resiliency prevailing. 

“Trans people have always stood firm in knowing who they are, while many people in society will say anything to make them think otherwise,” Perez-Hernandez said at the county’s flag-raising event. 

At the ceremony, Supervisor Noelia Corzo said she stands in solidarity with the community and spoke of the need for allies to consistently strive for inclusion in all spaces, with or without the presence of transgender folks in the room. 

“It is not just our job, and it’s not my job to educate you all on how to respect, treat and understand our experiences and our identities,” Perez-Hernandez said. “Ask yourself how you can commit to amplify trans and gender nonconforming voices.” 

The county has resources on its website at smcgov.org/lgbtqia/transgender-day-remembrance, including advice on how to be an ally to trans and nonbinary youth, how to break away from the gender binary, and other resources. 

At the flag-raising event, Corzo reiterated that the county is a welcoming space to all. 

“Your very existence is resistance and it is on us now as allies and upstanders to make that resistance just a little bit easier every chance we get,” Corzo said. “You belong here and we see you in all of your beauty and courage and we will fight to protect, uplift and celebrate you because you are so worthy of that.” 

Although many members of transgender community are anxious for what’s to come, they are united in the continued fight, Krug said at the board meeting Nov. 12. 

“We support each other however we can, we are resilient, and we will not be erased,” Krug said. “Hate and anger know no bounds, but the transgender community has compassion and love to spare for those who need it.” 

In years past, the San Mateo County Pride Center has hosted a vigil to memorialize the lives lost. This year, an altar honoring the lives lost is hosted at the Redwood City Public Library, including an audio recording of the names of victims. 

The Transgender Day of Remembrance altar will be on display at the Redwood City Public Library, located at 1044 Middlefield Road, until Nov. 24.