“Vigil is the Latin word for ‘awake,’ and we hope that this event has that effect on attendees – we need to see and realize the threats that our trans students, faculty and staff face in their daily lives and work our hardest to support them and prevent violence,” said Meredith Bagley, a faculty advisor for Spectrum.
The vigil will be held in 2101 Ferguson Center art gallery where Spectrum is also displaying art through Friday afternoon. Gaby Wilson, a senior majoring in telecommunications and film, coordinated the event.
“Each year, in observance of Trans Day of Remembrance, Spectrum, along with support from other queer campus organizations, has hosted a candlelight vigil on the Quad,” Wilson said. “This year, it was decided that a more lasting and visible way of honoring the lives of trans people that were lost was to have a visual display representing each person.”
The group wanted to do more than just a vigil to raise awareness of the violence against trans-identified people. They had originally planned to place one trans flag for each person lost on the quad in front of Gorgas Library but had to change their plans due to homecoming events.
Mat Wimberly, a senior majoring in marketing and management and vice president of Spectrum, said remembrance and awareness are two goals of Trans Day of Remembrance.
“Trans Day of Remembrance is significant because it gives people an opportunity to mourn those who we have lost in the past year,” Wimberly said. “It is also a time for transgender people and their allies to take action and bring attention to this community by educating the public and advancing advocacy around the issues that transgender people face.”
