ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-143
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
November 7, 2023
To recognize the Transgender Day of Remembrance and to celebrate the resilience of transgender
individuals and communities, and to declare Monday, November 20, 2023, as Transgender
Day of Remembrance in the District of Columbia.
WHEREAS, the government of the District of Columbia has affirmatively and officially
recognized the right of transgender people to live authentically and openly without the fear of
discrimination or violence, as exemplified by the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in 2005;
WHEREAS, the District nevertheless has a particularly alarming history of violence
against transgender individuals including the murders of Zoe Spears, Ashanti Carmon, Deeniquia Dodds, Deoni Jones, Lashai Mclean, Tyli’a Mack, Elexius Woodland, Bella Evangelista, Emonie
Spaulding, Stephanie Thomas, Ukea Davis, Taya Ashton, and too many others;
WHEREAS, bias, violence, and systemic oppression against transgender people remain
unacceptably prevalent, including in the District of Columbia;
WHEREAS, incarceration, homelessness, poverty, and addiction have a disproportionate
impact on transgender individuals, particularly transgender women of color, and persistently result in loss of lives;
WHEREAS, violence against transgender people is fostered by the unprecedented wave of
laws across the country that discriminate against, stigmatize, and criminalize transgender people,
accompanied by ever-increasing hateful rhetoric against the transgender community;
WHEREAS, transgender people and their allies are pushing back against such
discriminatory laws, transphobic rhetoric, and hate violence;
WHEREAS, transgender people have the same human rights as all people to live free from
violence and discrimination, pursuing a life of joy, dignity, and aspirations for the future with
respect and love as any other person;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, transgender people in the District have long exhibited remarkable resilience
and bravery, including the organized response to the 1997 death of Tyra Hunter, a Black
transgender woman whom District employees failed to provide the life-saving treatment she
needed after determining she was transgender;
WHEREAS, since the 2022 Transgender Day of Remembrance, transgender people in the
District, and surrounding area, have continued to be murdered, including A’Nee Roberson, Skylar
Harrison Reeves, and Jasmine “Star” Parker , while misgendering by media and police may have
obscured additional instances of violence against transgender people in the region; and
WHEREAS, the transgender community and allies in the District have commemorated
Transgender Day of Remembrance since 2001 and communities and organizations here and around
the world will observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, 2023.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA , That this
resolution may be cited as the “ Transgender Day of Remembrance Recognition Resolution of
2023”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia declares November 20, 2023, as the
Transgender Day of Remembrance in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately .