BMCC Community Gathers to Commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to the violent deaths of transgender and gender-expansive people. If you or anyone you know is in need of help, please reach out to resources at the HRC Foundation: Mental Health Resources in the LGBTQ+ Community. BMCC students can reach out to the BMCC Counseling Center, (212) 220-8140. 

On November 20, the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Center for Belonging and Inclusion—home of the Women’s Resource Center, the LGBTQIA+ Pride Center and the Center for Immigrant Services—commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) with an event in the Hudson Room at the college’s main campus.

“This was a day to honor the lives of trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive individuals lost to violence, bringing attention to the urgent need to end brutality against our communities,” says Dr. Celiany Rivera, Manager of the BMCC Center for Student Belonging and Inclusion.

“Together at this event, we reflected on the importance of gender diversity in our communities and remembered those who continue to face harm or whose lives have been lost due to systemic and anti-trans violence.”

She adds that the event provided a place for the BMCC community’s collective grief, “to build our knowledge and understanding, and explore how self and community care can strengthen trans and nonbinary communities.”

Student Affairs Dean Michael Hutmaker welcomed the audience to the event and remarks were delivered by Media Arts & Technology Associate Professor Shon A.M. Keane.

Professor Keane shared a clip of their upcoming documentary, Finding Bernie, that featured Rev. Debra Hopkins, who describes herself as “a Black Trans reverend and Trans rights activist in the South.” She is also the author of Not Until You Have Walked In My Shoes: A Journey of Discovery & The Spirit of the Human Heart.

Guest speaker is BMCC student Kim Watson-Benjamin, who serves as LGBTQ and Health Coordinator in the Office of the NYC Public Advocate

The BMCC commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance featured guest speaker and BMCC Public Health Administration major Kim Watson-Benjamin.

Ms. Watson-Benjamin is the LGBTQ and Health Coordinator for the Office of New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, part of the Justice, Health, Equity and Safety Team in the Community Engagement Department.

In that role, Ms. Watson-Benjamin has helped the Public Advocate Office introduce two bills in the New York City Council to address transphobia in New York City Healthcare.

“One key detail that stood out to me from Kim’s speech was her powerful reason for attending BMCC as a 60-year-old woman of trans experience, setting a powerful example for the 15-year-old teenager she’s raising as a single mother,” said Dr. Rivera.

“She emphasized the importance of utilizing every resource available to move forward, particularly as members of strategically invisibilized communities.”

The work to protect and honor all members of the BMCC community continues year-round

The Transgender Day of Remembrance event closed with a Water Grief Ceremony— which symbolically likens emotion to water; both water and emotions are fluid, dynamic and ever-changing.

Participants were given small cups of water to hold their grief, which they poured into a shared basin, symbolizing collective sorrow.

The basin was then carried away by BMCC Health and Wellness Club students who enacted the seeking of wisdom and resiliency from the enduring strength of rivers, trees and the earth itself.

The Water Grief Ceremony was followed by a “Say Their Names” activity and two minutes of silence.

There was also an open mic that featured members of the BMCC community, and when the activities concluded, participants walked together to nearby City Hall, to attend a Transgender Day of Remembrance event hosted there.

While Transgender Day of Remembrance has now passed, Dr. Rivera stresses that the work to protect and honor all members of the BMCC community is active every day of the year.

“It is heartbreaking that this commemoration remains necessary year after year, which is why we reclaim safety, justice, and visibility for LGBTQIA+ community members, but with special urgency for our trans siblings, so that we could finally stop commemorating this day,” Dr. Rivera said.

“Standing in solidarity is more critical than ever, as trans issues intersect with many others,” she adds. “Protecting against unlawful deportation, defending free speech, fighting for reproductive rights, combating discrimination, and pushing for state protections are all tied to the rights and well-being of women, trans and nonbinary people.”