Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance  [TDOR] is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

TDOR was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence that year and began an important memorial that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice." — Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Here are some of those we lost in 2015 … there are many more who were murdered, and never identified …

Keyshia Blige, 33 years old, shot to death in Aurora, Illinois; March 7th, 2015

Tamara Dominguez, 36 years old, repeatedly run over by vehicle in Kansas City, Missouri; August 15th, 2015

Kandis Capri, 35 years old, shot to death in Phoenix, Arizona; August 11th, 2015

Amber Monroe, 20 years old, shot to death in Detroit, Michigan; August 8th, 2015

Ashton O’Hara, 25 years old, stabbed to death and then run over, in Detroit, Michigan; July 14th, 2015

Shade Schuler, 22 years old, found dead in a field in Dallas, Texas; July 29th, 2015

K.C. Haggard,  66 years old, stabbed to death in Fresno, California; July 24th, 2015

India Clarke, 22 years old, shot to death in Tampa, Florida; July 21st, 2015

Mercedes Williamson, 17 years old, beaten to death in Rocky Creek, Alabama; May 30th, 2015

Penny Proud, 21 years old, shot to death in Tremé, New Orleans, Louisiana; February 10th, 2015

Taja Gabrielle DeJesus, 36 years old, stabbed to death in San Francisco, California; February 8th, 2015

Bri Golec, 22 years old, stabbed to death in Akron, Ohio; February 13th, 2015

Lamia Beard, 30 years old, shot to death in Norfolk, Virginia; January 17th, 2015

Papi Edwards, 20 years old, shot to death in Louisville, Kentucky; January 9th, 2015

Nephi Luthers , 20 years old,  shot to death in Georgetown, Guyana; July 21st, 2015

Diosvany Muñoz Robaina, 24 years old, stoned to death in Pinar del Río, Cuba; April 26th, 2015

C.N. Alves de Matos Jr, 21 years old, stabbed and dismembered in São Paulo, Brazil; September 25th, 2015

L.A. de Souza, 22 years old, found in landfill with a knife in her neck in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; September 30th, 2015

Waleska Rayala, 21 years old, stabbed to death in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; September 2nd, 2015

Paulinha, shot to death in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; September 8th, 2015

Flower, 39 years old, beaten to death in Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil; August 27th, 2015

V.H.A dos Santos , 25 years old, shot to death in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; August 24th, 2015

Patricia, 29 years old, unknown cause of death, thrown into bush in Santa Terezinha, Piracicaba, Brazil; August 3rd, 2015

Gabi, 26 years old, beaten to death in Valparaíso de Goiás, Brazil; July 19th, 2015

Erika Aguilera, 25 years old, shot to death in Dourados, Brazil; July 16th, 2015

India Nascimento, 29 years old, beaten to death in Pernambuco, Brazil; July 12th, 2015

L.R.O. Dorta, 26 years old, decapitated in Pernambuco, Brazil; July 12th, 2015

Vanessa Calaça, 27 years old, stoned to death in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil; July 12th, 2015

Bruna J. Mendes, 27 years old, shot to death in Itapebi, Bahia, Brazil; June 29th, 2015

Sidney Araújo Claudino, 19 years old, shot to death in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; June 23rd, 2015

Laura Vermont, 18 years old, beaten to death by police in São Paulo, Brazil; June 20th, 2015

Kauane da Silva, 35 years old, shot to death in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; June 13th, 2015

Kelly Silva, 31 years old, stabbed to death in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil; June 9th, 2015

Andréia Amado, 29 years old, shot to death in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; June 4th, 2015

Carol Melo, 30 years old, strangled to death in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; June 3th, 2015

Priscilla da Silva, 23 years old, shot to death in Dois Riachos, Alagoas, Brazil; May 30th, 2015

Barbara Sodre, 29 years old, stabbed to death in Sergipe, Brazil; May 25th, 2015

Jean Waltrick, 27 years old, shot to death in Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil; May 23rd, 2015

Vandressa Vinnitt, shot to death in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; May 18th, 2015

Ticiane Abravanel, 21 years old, shot to death in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil; May 18th, 2015

La Monique de Roma, 43 years old), shot to death in Butantã, São Paulo, Brazil; May 14th, 2015

Stefanny, shot to death in Caucaia, Ceará, Brazil; April 30th, 2015

Job Rodrigues da Silva, 46 years old, shot to death in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil; April17th, 2015

Bruna, 47 years old, shot to death in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil; April 16th, 2015

Bruna Quércia, 15 years old, shot to death in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil; April 15th, 2015

Victória Camargo, 29 years old, shot to death in Venâncio Aires, Brazil; April 13th, 2015

Bruna Michele, 20 years old, beaten to death in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; April 13th, 2015

Vanessa Ganzaroli, 18 years old, stabbed to death in Petrolina, Pernambuc, Brazil; April 3rd, 2015

Debora, stoned to death in Mogi Mirim, São Paulo, Brazil; April 2nd, 2015

Lotinha, stabbed to death in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; March 29th, 2015

Adriana, 22 years old, shot to death in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; March 22th, 2015

Bianca Araujo, 21 years old, shot to death in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; March 20th, 2015

Michael Lucas de Almeida Reginald, 13 years old, beaten and stabbed to death in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil; March 18th, 2015

Natália Ferraz, 21 years old, shot to death in Caçapava, São Paulo, Brazil; February 27th, 2015

Ygor Fernando Oliveira Santos, 20 years old, shot to death in Marechal Deodoro, Alagoas, Brazil; February 27th, 2015

Keity, 23 years old, stabbed to death in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; February 24th, 2015

Lara, 16 years old, stoned to death in Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil; February 22nd, 2015

Raíssa, 19 years old, stabbed to death in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil; February 16th, 2015

Capitú Santos, 31 years old, stabbed to death in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil; February 16th, 2015

Joyce Akira, a teenager, shot to death in Mangabeira, Joao Pessoa, Brazil; February 8th, 2015

Pata, 35 years old, strangled to death in Macapá, Amapá, Brazil; February 7th, 2015

Didinha, 18 years old, shot to death in Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, Brazil; February 1st, 2015

LÉO, 26 years old, shot to death in Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil; January 26th, 2015

Piu da Silva, 25 years old, beaten and shot to death in Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiroa, Brazil; January 22nd, 2015

Diana Sacayán, 39 years old, stabbed to death in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina; October 11th, 2015

Marcela Chocobar, 26 years old, dismembered and burned in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina; September 4th, 2015

Francela Méndez, stabbed to death in Las Palmeras, Sonsonate, El Salvador; May 31st, 2015

Fernanda “Coty” Olmos, 59 years old, stabbed and suffocated in Santa Fe, Argentina; September 25th, 2015

Yoshi Tsuchida, 38 years old, her face was cut off in Tokyo, Japan; November 13th, 2015

Leticya Santos Ignácio, 21 years old, shot to death in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil; October 12th, 2015

Miscilene, 25 years old, blunt force trauma to the head in Bahia, Brazil; October 12th, 2015

Miscilene, 20 years old, shot to death in Ponta Porã, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; October 20th, 2015

Tiffany Latifah, 17 years old, shot to death in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; November 2nd, 2015

It’s a sad list to read through as the weekend approaches, but maybe, after reading, think about being nicer to everyone you meet.

It matters not how we look, how we speak, how we pray, how we love, it just matters that we treat each other with the respect we deserve as human beings sharing this planet.

Stay safe … Be nice.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Nearly every two weeks, a person is killed somewhere in the world for expressing gender nonconformity. This sobering statistic does not include the numerous other deaths that never receive media attention or are not reported to police, making the full scope of lives lost to senseless antitrans prejudice truly innumerable.

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, the 15th anniversary of the first TDOR, held in Allston, Mass., to memorialize Rita Hester, a trans woman of color who was murdered in 1999. Over the years, TDOR has catalogued the loss of hundreds of trans and gender-nonconforming people — individuals who, within their often short lifetimes, were beloved family members, friends, and members of their communities — who faced attackers wielding slurs, weapons, and fists. Some were killed by intimate partners, some by strangers, while still others were children slain by parents who were intolerant of their gender variance.

And while transgender people, along with friends, loved ones, family, and allies, somberly remember those killed because of antitrans violence today, we also remember that there are still countless instances of transphobic acts occurring each year that do not end in death — many of which are never reported to media or authorities. Likewise, murders not covered by the media tend to become more difficult to communally memorialize on this day.

While The Advocate's memorial coverage to mark this year's TDOR focuses on women whose deaths were covered in the English-speaking press, we also honor countless other precious lives marred by violence and the multitude of others whose passing goes unspoken.

So, once again, we ask that you draw your attention to those whose deaths we mourn, not simply to cause sadness, but to raise awareness of the need for a world in which such constant mourning is never requisite again.

Alejandra Leos was fatally shot in the back while trying to leave her Memphis, Tennessee home after a fight with her boyfriend, Miguel Pegues. He has been charged with first-degree murder.

Aniya Parker was shot October 3 in Los Angeles by a group of men during what police consider a "robbery gone wrong." Nearby surveillance video recorded the attackers attempting to take Parker's purse; however, the fact that the bag was left at the scene has left some trans advocates believing she was targeted because of her gender identity.

Ashley (Michelle) Sherman was found October 27 with a gunshot wound to the head, lying underneath a light pole at Indianapolis's Tudor Park condominiums. Officials are still unsure whether she died where she was found or was moved there, but are not investigating her death as a hate crime at this time.

Betty Skinner was found December 4, 2013, at her Cleveland senior apartment complex, dead from severe head injuries. A physically disabled woman who required assisted living, she was unable to leave her bed during the attack. There are no leads or suspects.

Gizzy Fowler was found earlier this month, shot dead outside her car in the driveway of a Nashville residence. Police are still investigating who killed Fowler and why she was at the house, which was unoccupied. 

Jennifer Laude was found strangled in a bathroom in Olongapo, Philippines October 11. U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton was charged with the murder, which he is accused of committing during military training exercises.

Kandy Hall died from massive bodily trauma from an unknown object. The Annapolis hairdresser's body was found in an empty field near a Baltimore school in June. Police have not yet been able to arrest a suspect.

Brittany-Nicole Kidd-Stergis died December 5, 2013, after receiving a gunshot wound to the head while sitting in her parked car in Cleveland. Six months later Delshawn Carroll was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison after confessing to the murder.

Mayang Prasetyo was murdered, police believe, by her newlywed husband, Marcus Peter Volke, who was allegedly upset that Prasetyo wanted to move out of the couple's home in Brisbane, Australia. Volke fled the scene and committed suicide before he could be arrested. 

Mia Henderson was discovered dead in a Baltimore alley while police were investigating a separate, unrelated local crime. While her murder reportedly bore similarities to that of local trans woman Kandy Hall, who was found dead in an empty Baltimore field in June, police declined to directly connect the two murders — both of which remain unsolved.

Tiffany Edwards was shot to death in Walnut Hills, Ohio in June. Quamar Edwards — who is not related to Tiffany — turned himself in six days later, after police issued a warrant for his arrest. Edwards reportedly voiced a "trans panic" defense through an uncle, who alleged that the assailant "lost his cool" after Tiffany "came on to him."

Yaz'min Shancez was found deceased behind a garbage bin on a private road in Fort Myers, Florida in June. Her remains had been burned post-mortem. Police were reluctant to rule Shancez's murder a hate crime and have not publicly named a suspect.

Zoraida Reyes immigrated from Michoacan, Mexico, to live with her family in Orange County, California. In June, when Reyes's body was discovered behind an Anaheim Dairy Queen, officials were initially at a loss about what caused her death. Four months later, police arrested Randy Lee Parkerson on suspicion that he choked Reyes to death. 

An Unknown Victim was allegedly killed by an intimate partner in Detroit's Palmer Park in August; LGBT advocates say she was a transgender woman. After the murder, the perpetrator reportedly drove away and crashed into another car nearby, then took off on foot, leaving his gun behind. Detroit police quickly arrested Eduardo Moss, who is suspected of attacking two other trans women near Palmer Park the previous week.

An Unknown Victim whose body was found locked inside her burning apartment in Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia, has been identified by Georgian LGBT activists as a 25-year-old trans woman. The fire appears to have been an attempt to destroy evidence related to the murder.

Çağla Joker was fatally shot in the chest on April 21 in her home in Istanbul while spending time with another trans woman, Nalan. Nalan was wounded in the assault but survived. Two suspects, ages 17 and 19, were quickly arrested for the murder after being caught fleeing the scene on a security camera. The suspects claimed they intended to have sexual relations with their victims and shot Joker and Nalan after realizing the women were trans.

Gypsie Gül was killed in her east Istanbul home October 10. Her body was found two days later when a friend visited. Officials have not determined whether Gül was targeted for being trans or was killed in a robbery attempt.

Jacqui Cowdrey died in her Worthing, England, home in November 2013. The exact cause of her death was never released, but officials believe she was arguing with 63-year-old Charles Schofield outside a local pub in the hours before her death. Police arrested him as well as a 34-year-old man on suspicion of murder; the pair quickly posted bail and left custody. Schofield was eventually convicted of assaulting Cowdrey, and the younger suspect is no longer being investigated.

Keeta Bakhsh of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, died after being released from the hospital following a brutal beating by police October 23. Bakhsh, a dnacer, was arrested among several coworkers when police raided their house. Police initially claimed that Bakhsh had perished from injuries sustained while jumping from a moving police van, but have since suspended the raid's leader, officer Aashiq Cheema, while they investigate excessive force allegations. 

Mahadevi was a disabled trans woman pushed off a moving train in Bangalore, India last September. Witnesses say that Mahadevi was pushed by two youths and perished immediately.

Marcela Duque was stoned to death on a street in Medellin, Colombia, by a group of attackers on September 9. The murder was witnessed by Duque's 19-year-old friend, who ran to get police officers, but could not return in time to intervene in the attack.

Mary Jo Añonuevo was strangled and stabbed 33 times at the Lucena City, Philippines, bar she owned on October 21. Based on evidence, police believe there were four attackers who murdered Añonuevo during a robbery, however many of Añonuevo's friends suspect that a man she fought with hours before her death committed the murder.

Rosa Ribut was found beaten to death November 24, 2013 at an Edmonton, Canada, hotel. Also known to friends as "Rose," "Dido," or "Jon," Ribut was a gender-nonconforming Indonesian citizen who had traveled the world and ended up in Canada on a temporary work visa. She worked in a 7-Eleven but sometimes engaged in sex work, which may have played a part in her murder. Several weeks after Ribut's death, police arrested 20-year-old Marcel Cristian Niculae, who was the last person to speak to Ribut alive.

Sevda Basar was shot in the chest with a hunting rifle by her boyfriend, Ethem Orhan, in February. After the murder, Orhan stole Basar's gold jewelry, buried her body in the Antep, Turkey, vineyard where he worked, and fled to Serbia. 

The official website for the Transgender Day of Remembrance listed 81 names for worldwide vigil-goers to memorialize this year; Transgender Europe has an additional 226 names. 

While this report from The Advocate has focused on most of the deaths reported in the English-speaking media, all of the lives lost — as well as those never reported — are worthy of honoring.

Today we also remember:

Elizalber Oliveria de Mesquita, Paloma, Rayka Tomaz, Prince Joe, Toni Gretchen, Luana, Cristal, Thifani, Joice, Sarita, Juju, Raísa, Tatty, Rafaela, Alex Medeiros, Paulete, Camila Veronezi, Lu, Kitana, Sarita do Sopão, Andressa Pinheiro, Rose Maria, Vitória, Marciana, Nicole, Giovana Souza Silva, Mileide, Valquíria, Marcia Moraes, Paola, André Luiz Borges Rocha, Kellen Santorine, Mackelly Castro, Lele, Dennysi Brandão, Alisson Henrique da Silva, Karen Alanis, Cris, Bruna Lakiss, Gaivota dos Santos, Gélia Borghi, Sara, Aguinaldo Clãudio Colombelli, Flávia, Maicon, Letícia, Raquel, Adriana …

… and many more.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance [TDOR] which is an annual observance to honor the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. In addition, this entire week is Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people and address the issues the T and the Q in the LGBTQ face.

TDOR was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998; now it is held to commemorate all the transgender people lost to violence since then.

"The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."—Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Why do we need a special day to honor transgender people, some may ask. Well, I have an opinion … go figure.

Years ago I heard a saying, Gay is the New Black, meaning that since we’d come through the Civil Rights Movement, before which discriminating against black people was legal and accepted in many parts of the world, it was time to turn the discrimination toward The Gays. 

Some say The Gays became The New Black because it was legal, and acceptable, to discriminate against us; we became the go-to group for denigration and stereotyping and bashing.

But things have changed for the better in this country; now we have marriage equality in sixteen states and the District of Columbia; we have laws in place regarding Hate Crimes, we have laws in place to protect us from discrimination. So what now …

Trans is the New Black Gay. Yes, now that The Gays have made some strides, those folks who live to discriminate need a new group to hate and to demonize and now it’s the Transgender community — the T in the LGBT.

Think it isn’t true? Read on about a couple of incidents from just the last couple of weeks:

At Hercules High School in California’s Bay Area, a transgender student was beaten by four other students last week because she’s transgender.

The New Black Gay.

Beaten for being transgender because narrow-minded people refuse to learn.

But, hey, it was just a beating, right? Then what about the transgender woman who was found beaten and murdered in Detroit this week. The body was discovered by a mother and son looking for bottles and scraps in trash cans, and they found a human being; dead. In a garbage can in America.

The New Black Gay.

Only, this was a Black Transgender woman, so maybe it isn’t anything new; she had two strikes, skin color and gender identity.

We don’t need a new Black; we don’t need a new Gay; and as people become more understanding and more educated about our transgender brothers and sisters, perhaps there will be less brutality, less murder, less hate.

But then, what will become The New Transgender? Will those folks who hate just move onto another group to hate just because they're different?

Why can’t we just learn that we are all different, and yet we are all very much alike? We all want to be free to live our lives, our lives, as we choose; we want to love who we love; live as we choose; have the gender identity we crave.

Let’s not have a New Black, or a New Gay.

Let’s just have New.

As an aside:

I am not in any way suggesting that the Black community is still not a victim of hate; I am not suggesting that the Gay community is still not a victim of hate.

I'm merely saying that it seems like The Haters need to find some new target as their former targets become less so.

And that needs to end. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Hercules transgender student verbally harassed before fight

Transgender Woman Found Murdered in Detroit

National Transgender Day of Remembrance

Lotsa folks don't "get" transgender. they don't know what it means, they think it means you're gay, but you wanna switch genders.
And I understand that. It's hard, I imagine, to grasp the idea that you are physically one gender, but emotionally feel the other, and don't feel whole, or don't feel yourself, your true self. Everyone wants to be themselves....everyone.
So, today is National Transgender Day of Remembrance. A day to remember those who have been lost to us forever as a result of violence against the transgendered community.
from the website:

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. 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 our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

Do yourself a favor and find out what it means to be the T in LGBT.
Understand, be compassionate, be welcoming.
Realize that people may make mistakes in speaking of the Transgendered community, but recognize those mistakes, correct them and move on.
Kelly Osbourne recently gave an interview to Glamour UK, and came under fire for her use of the slur "tr*nny". Like me, Kelly had no idea that the word was seen as demeaning and hurtful. She reached out to GLAAD because she wanted to understand how she had offended some people and to apologize for her, well, ignorance. 
This is Kelly's apology [source]:

I'd first like to make it clear that no one asked me to write this.  After reaching out to GLAAD for advice and clarification, I thought it was imperative to explain and amend my wrong. I gained a lot of knowledge, and I now feel the urgency to speak out and teach others. As unfortunate as this incident was, I assure you it was taken out of context, but I cannot deny the words; they did come out of my mouth. As a lifelong LGBT ally and friend, I feel it is my duty to not only apologize for my wrong but to also correct it. The word “tr*nny” is a derogatory and hurtful word. I was completely ignorant to this and soon came to realize most of my peers and LGBT friends are too. This is a word I will no longer use or allow. It wasn't until I googled it after speaking with GLAAD that I found out just how unbelievably offensive it was.  When friends jokingly called me that in the past, I took it as a compliment or a joke, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Transgender people are some of the bravest people on Earth and among the LGBT community. I cannot imagine the courage it takes to live your life openly and honestly, reflecting who you truly are, or the hurt that comes from having to hide who you are because others may not support and accept you.  Due to the fact that it is Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, I would like to raise awareness to this injustice in society. It is a day to remember those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence and speak out against the fact that transgender people face disproportionate amounts of discrimination and harassment every day. The lack of knowledge about transgender people contributes to the unparalleled number of violent acts against them every day. A part of me is happy I've made such an awful mistake because I can now use this as a platform to help speak out against the use of such hurtful and dehumanizing words. With your assistance and support, we can get this word out of television/media.  It is still being used today; I've seen it four times in the past week. My sincerest apologies to any ally or member of the LGBT community whom I have hurt or offended.  That kind of representation goes against everything I stand for and is the last thing I would ever want to do. I would also like to thank The Transadvocate for educating me and bringing this to my attention. Nobody can tell you whom to love or what gender to be.  That is your basic human right, and certainly nobody has the right to discriminate against you for who you truly are!

We could all learn a lot........