Wednesday, November 20 was the Transgender Day of Rememberance. This day is dedicated to honoring those who were lost due to hate crimes related to transphobia.
A vigil was held Wednesday morning in the Paul Peck Alumni Center and was followed by a flag raising on the University City, Center City, and Queen Lane campuses of Drexel University. The flags honored the 22 domestic deaths of trans and gender non-conforming people that occurred in the United States in 2019. A majority of these deaths were those of young, African American women. These flags will remain raised throughout the rest of the week.
The President of the Drexel Queer Student Union, Violet Rose Collins, delivered a speech about this respected day: “Today is a rallying cry. Today is about making sure that trans kids can wear whatever the hell they want!” said Collins.
While Drexel University did hold the vigil in Paul Peck and raised flags, there was only a single email sent out to students regarding the importance of a day of remembrance. Overall, the leadership of events and resources falls on Drexel student unions more than the administrative staff at Drexel.
The Drexel Queer Student Union, Out in STEM and the Queer People of Color are all coming together and hosting a bake sale fundraiser following Transgender Remembrance Day. Students can purchase baked goods at the Creese Student Center Friday, November 22 from 11a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Drexel Queer Student Union has social and educational meetings every Thursday from 7-8 p.m. in the Student Center for Diversity and Inclusion located in the basement of the Creese Center. This week’s theme is “Self Care” and will include warm drinks, music, face masks, and coloring pages.