Transgendered people and transgender allies at Oberlin and around the world organized for the 5th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. The day honors victims of anti-transgender hate crimes and aims to raise awareness about anti-transgender prejudice and violence this Thursday.

Rita Hester was murdered on Nov. 28, 1998, and inspired the “Remembering Our Dead” internet project and a San Fransisco candlelight vigil in 1999. The Day of Remembrance began to honor Hester, whose murder has yet to be solved.

The Oberlin Transgender Advocacy Group (TAG) had an informational table in Wilder bowl, and students read the names of 100 anti-transgender hate crime victims along with details of the situations in which they were killed.

With the help of other students, TAG member Liz McConnell put up flyers around campus commemorating the 100 victims, including portraits when available.

“There are so many terrible stories,” McConnell said. “People have been stabbed up to 60 times, and many are burned after they’re killed. Police don’t tend to investigate these crimes enough and the perpetrators are rarely caught. When they are, they tend to get let off easy.”

McConnell told the story of Tyra Hunter, who was in an automobile accident in Washington D.C. in 1995. When paramedics saw that she had male genitalia, they ceased medical aid and began mocking her. She was eventually brought to D.C. General Hospital, where physicians allegedly failed to provide care that could have saved her life. Hunter’s mother, Margie Hunter, received $1.75 million in a wrongful death settlement from the District of Columbia.

There is at least one death a month around the world from anti-transgender hate crimes, according to Gender Education and Advocacy (GEA), a national non-profit transgender advocacy group.

“Transgendered people and issues are often overlooked,” TAG member April Sizemore-Barber said. “People don’t tend to think of transgendered people when they think of hate crimes victims. The only high-profile transgendered victim is Brandon Teena from the movie Boys Don’t Cry, but there are lots of different kinds of transgendered people.”

TAG member Serapis Banks said that transgendered people are disrespected and misunderstood. “People forget that they’re human,” said Banks.

Members of TAG want to raise awareness about transgender issues on campus, as well as create a supportive community for transgender people at Oberlin. “You can never underestimate the power of allies,” Barber said. “Professors and staff are not as supportive of transgender students as they could be.”

TAG submitted a list of recommendations about supporting transgendered people at Oberlin to the student senate last year.

“Some of it was ignored,” Barber said, “but progress has been made.” The counseling center’s survey forms now feature a box to identify oneself as ‘transgender,’ according to Barber.

TAG has worked with the Oberlin Lambda Alumni, a group of LGBT alums, to advocate for change on other subtle inconsistencies in respecting individuality, according to TAG member Melsen.

Issues have included respecting transgender identity in housing, bathrooms and being able to change names or pictures on OCIDs.

TAG has been sporadically active on campus since 1996. Its advocacy meetings are open to all, and are held on Thursdays at 9 p.m. in Wilder.

TAG also plans to announce safe space meetings for transgendered people.