The week of Nov.13-19 is GLAAD’s Transgender Awareness Week. Transgender Awareness Week focuses on bringing visibility to the transgender community and showing issues that transgender people face. Nov.20 is Transgender Day of Awareness, which is a day when people remember members of the transgender community who have died from transphobic violence. According to GLAAD, “Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was founded by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor her memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.” As of today, Rita Hester´s murder has never been solved, which goes to show the vulnerability of black trans women. Her murder and many others have been swept under the rug. According to an article featured on Vogue, Gwendolyn Ann Smith is an advocate for the transgender community, especially on the internet. She supports transgender people by writing columns and managing websites.

I believe the reason transgender people have a higher chance of mental illness is not due to gender dysphoria, but the hate and mistreatment they have to endure from others. The Trevor Project states that: “37% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported that they have been physically threatened or harmed due to their gender identity.” The Trevor Project has also found that “71% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported that they have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity.” The HRC says that: “2021 has already seen at least 57 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means.”

The struggles transgender people face every day is the reason awareness needs to be brought to these issues. Orrin Hatch, a former President Pro Tempore of the Senate, said that “I don’t think we should be discriminating against anyone. Transgender people are people and deserve the best we can do for them.”