The White House on Tuesday observed the
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), a day set aside to raise
public awareness around increasing rates of violence facing
transgender people.
Roughly two dozen transgender activists
met at the White House. They were received by John Berry, director
of the Office of Personnel Management.
“At the meeting, community leaders
highlighted a range of issues and concerns of importance to
transgender people,” the White House said in a blog post. “In
the months and years ahead, we look forward to working to ensure the
safety and wellbeing of all transgender people.”
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis also
issued a statement commemorating the day.
“I stand proudly today – and every
day – as an ally to the transgender community and to every person
and family impacted by anti-transgender bullying and violence,”
Solis said. “Transgender people are part of the diversity that
America celebrates today and they, like every American, deserve to
live without fear of prejudice or violence.”
The first Transgender Day of
Remembrance was held in 1999 to memorialize the murder of Rita
Hester, a transgender African-American woman whose 1998 murder
remains unsolved.
(Related: 256
transgender people murdered in 2012.)