PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — A group in Sevier County is planning to host a candlelit memorial to remember people who died in the transgender and nonbinary community.
The event is planned to start at 4:30 p.m. at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge. There the group will pray and read the names of people who died, honoring their memory.
Saturday is the national Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed to honor the memory of people who died in acts of anti-transgender violence. The week leading up to the day is Transgender Awareness Week, which is meant to raise awareness of the challenges the transgender community faces.
It was started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, an advocate. She started it as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman who was murdered in her Boston apartment in 1998. It was later expanded to include all people lost to anti-transgender violence.
"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," Smith said.
The Tennessee legislature recently passed a slate of bills that experts warned could further marginalize the transgender community, especially students. One bars transgender students from playing on sports teams that align with their gender. That law has been challenged by a 14-year-old from Farragut High School.
After the laws were passed, advocates also said they saw a surge in calls for help and advice. Another of the bills restricts students from using a "multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility" aligning with their gender identity.
Resources are available for the LGBTQ+ community in East Tennessee. Knox Pride recently opened a permanent community center for people who needed a place to enjoy time with friends. They also host events, virtual and in-person, that connects members of the community.
A list of resources can also be found online. Through that list, people can connect with groups across the area to find support.