Transgender Day of Remembrance: Altar-Building and Know Your Rights Training

At the Maralyn G. Cohn LGBTQ Community Space, Thomas Hunter Room 311, we are hosting a twofold event on Tuesday, November 19, from 2:30-4pm, commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). Lunch will be provided.

TDoR is an annual day observed in memory of the trans siblings lost to transphobia. We will begin with a collaborative altar built to mourn the trans lives lost over the past year. This is a time to use our creative skills as a community for an artistic tribute to our lost siblings. tanea lunsford lynx (they/she) (LGBTQ+ Community Space Steward) will lead us in the altar building process from 2:30-3pm — feel free to bring anything you would like to display on the altar (but NO candles - we can't have flames on campus!).

This will lead us into a Know Your Rights Training at 3pm, dedicated to trans people of the past, present, and future facilitated by Jack Pellicano (they/he). Jack is a 2023 graduate of the CUNY School of Law driven and inspired by the generations of trans people who have created dream-worthy lives for themselves in NYC. Throughout their time in Law school and now, Jack provides TGNCNB young people with direct civil legal services, including legal name and identity document changes, support in benefits access, and counseling on gender-based discrimination.

In the workshop, we will go over ways to protect ourselves and each other from gender and sexuality-based discrimination as well as what can be done after we face it. "This workshop provides information about legal protections for gender identity and expression-based discrimination in NYC specific to TGNC people. We aim to break down barriers through a student-led approach to this information, including practical information about how to navigate the legal system in NYC, with a realistic understanding of the utility and limits of these systems. The goal is for participants to gain a better understanding of existing protections in employment and public accommodations in order to strengthen their own, and wider community, advocacy efforts."