The People Respecting Individuality, Diversity, and Equity (PRIDE) Club at Arcadia University hosted a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance on Monday, Nov. 21.

The event honored transgender individuals who have lost their lives to anti-trans bigotry and violence.

“Members of PRIDE hope to provide a space where allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community alike can support one another as we address this heartbreaking topic and pay our respects,” said Thyme Steele, president of PRIDE. “[The club] strives to spread awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community and create a space on campus where queer students can connect with one another and feel safe and comfortable being their authentic selves.” 

Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999 as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. 

“As we continue to honor this important day each year, we recognize not only those whose stories have stretched across the crawl of the early-morning news but also those whose tales we do not know, whose killers were never discovered, who are lost among an ever-growing list of the disappeared,” The Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action (CASAA) at Arcadia said in a statement. 

The PRIDE club meets weekly throughout the semester. The meetings strike a balance between fun, community-building activities and educational presentations about various identities and issues within the queer community. PRIDE also hosts events on campus such as Argaydia’s Got Talent and the Pride Prom. Anyone interested in joining PRIDE can email the club at arcadiapride@gmail.com.