Observing National Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today, November 20th, 2014, we observe National Transgender Day of Remembrance, as a solemn occasion to honor those who have lost their lives or experienced violence because of their gender identity or gender expression. We honor those who continue to experience violence and recommit to changing hearts and minds in order that all people are free from discrimination, hatred, and violence including transgender people.

Here at the White House, President Obama and the Administration are committed to continuing to support transgender Americans and protecting their rights from harm and oppression. This year marked the five-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, critical civil rights legislation that have since expanded federal hate crimes protections to include gender, gender identity, disability, and sexual orientation. 

At the recognition of the 5th Anniversary of the Shepard Byrd Act, we highlighted the fact that never before had gender identity or gender expression been included under federal protections against hate crimes. More importantly, we recognized the heroic leadership of transgender people across the country who made this federal inclusion possible, and who bravely worked to implement the law through education of communities and law enforcement officials across the country. We recognized Mara Keisling, a prominent leader in the transgender community for her work toward securing equal protection under law for transgender Americans. We also heard from Kylar Broadus on the continuing challenges in the way of preventing hate crimes, and his unique perspective experiencing discrimination based on gender identity plus race, reminding us of the need to address the intersectionality of these issues as we work together to prevent and respond to violent hate crimes more effectively.

Across President Obama’s Administration, agencies are taking steps to expand equality for transgender Americans:

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overturned the exclusion of Medicare for transition-related care
• The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance clarifying that Title IX’s existing sex discrimination prohibition includes "gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity"
• The U.S. Department of Justice issued firm implementing guidelines for the first-ever non-discrimination provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization, providing clear guidelines prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination under federal law

The continued commitment by President Obama and the Administration is a reflection of the unwavering and courageous leadership of the transgender community, whose lives are often in jeopardy as they come out or simply live their lives. Today, we stand proud of the work we’ve done as a community, but reaffirm that much work remains so that the countless innocent lives were not lost in vain. Together, we can continue to make that difference.

Aditi Hardikar is the Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement