Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Declaring November 20, 2023 to be Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Body
WHEREAS, transgender and gender non-conforming folks are valued members of the City of Madison; and,
WHEREAS, the ongoing, growing epidemic of violence committed against transgender and gender non-conforming people continues to climb and claim the lives of too many each year; and,
WHEREAS, from 2017 to 2021 the number of homicides of transgender people increased by 93%; and,
WHEREAS, transgender women of color are disproportionately victims of such violence, as 73% of these tracked homicides between 2017 and 2021 were Black trans women; and,
WHEREAS, many more incidences of murder and violence against transgender people go unreported, sometimes due to misgendering the victim; and,
WHEREAS, Felicia Melton-Smyth, a transgender woman from Madison, was murdered while on vacation in Mexico in May of 2008; and,
WHEREAS, Felicia was a dedicated activist in the Madison LGBTQIA+ community and was a fundraiser for the Madison AIDS Network and other charities; and,
WHEREAS, Felicia worked in the billing department for the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation and during her nights and weekends was a part-time employee at Shamrock Bar & Grille, where she was known for her smile, jokes, and an annual holiday fundraiser that raised money for gifts for people with HIV/AIDS; and,
WHEREAS, the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, the largest survey of transgender people in the United States to date, found that 81.7% of respondents reported seriously thinking about suicide in their lifetimes and 40.4% reported attempting suicide at some point in their lifetimes; and,
WHEREAS, transgender youth report fewer depressive symptoms and less suicidal ideation and behavior when they are able to use their chosen names in multiple contexts, are validated, and are supported by friends, family, and the wider community; and,
WHEREAS, Skylar Marcus Lee, a 16-year-old trans...
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