Turlington Plaza was silent except for the humming of the vending machines Monday night as people gathered to commemorate the lives of transgender women.
In honor of Women’s History Month, UF’s Women’s Student Association, Pride Student Union and LGBT Affairs office held a vigil for transgender women who have been murdered this year.
Michelle Nolan, Women’s History Month director, said all the honored trans women were murdered because of their orientation. The UF organic chemistry second-year graduate student said it’s important not to exclude trans women from Women’s History Month.
“We’re trying to be more inclusive of trans women this year because they’re traditionally left out,” the 24-year-old said.
Eight names were elegantly written in pink, blue, green and red ink on cards that rested on the stripes of the transgender flag placed on a brick bench.
Blank cards and colored pens were available for others to include more names. By the end of the vigil, about 13 names were added. Some cards had broken hearts drawn next to the names. Small, battery-powered candles illuminated the paper names, and a sober silence filled the circle.
Stefani Dopico, the WSA social media director, said it’s important to create a safe space for a marginalized group of people. The 20-year-old UF telecommunication sophomore said attending the vigil was difficult, yet necessary.
“Every time someone added a name, it was painful,” Dopico said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 3/24/2015 under the headline “UF groups hold vigil in honor of murdered trans women”]
Pictured is a folded card reading “Taja DeJesus,” who was the fourth trans woman of color to die violently in the U.S. in 2015. The card was placed as part of a vigil on Turlington Plaza on Monday night in memory of trans women who have been killed violently.
