Item Description:
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Recognizing November 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance in Hennepin County - offered by Commissioner Fernando
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WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance in November that honors the memory of transgender people around the world whose lives were cut short by anti-transgender violence; and
WHEREAS, this annual observance provides a platform for transgender communities and allies to raise awareness of the threat of violence faced by transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people, as well as the persistence of anti-transgender prejudice that permeates our society; and
WHEREAS, there have been a record number of transgender and gender nonconforming people killed across the United States, including at least 32 people in 2023, 26 in 2024 and at least 27 in 2025, according to the Human Rights Campaign; and
WHEREAS, transgender people have been attacked and murdered simply because of their gender identity, gender expression, or because of hatred of a transgender person’s appearance, and
WHEREAS, research and advocacy organizations including the National Center for Transgender Equity, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Human Rights Watch find that transgender persons, especially black transgender women, are at extreme risk of being the target of violent acts, and
WHEREAS, across the nation since 2021, 29 states have enacted 171 anti-transgender bills, and, during their most recent legislative sessions, 17 states passed restrictions on medical care for transgender people. In 2026 alone, 840 anti-trans bills were introduced across 43 states and nationally 63 bills passed, 301 are active, and 476 failed to pass; and
WHEREAS, a growing number of bills across the nation seek to specifically ban gender-affirming health care for minors, and
WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota, through state law, administrative regulation, and Gubernatorial executive orders in 2023, declared itself a refuge for transgender people, and
WHEREAS, Hennepin County recognizes that transgender employees, residents and members of our communities are disproportionately affected by hate crimes and violence and experience compounding challenges in their daily lives due to discrimination, disproportionately high levels of unemployment, and limited access to health care; and
WHEREAS, by observing the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Hennepin County recognizes and celebrates transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people and honors the memory of people who are transgender whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners proclaims November 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance.