Today is the Day of Remembrance for those who have died because of hate crimes against Transgender people. Sadly too many names are lost from the lists because we have not always paused to remember. We have not always cared. We have not always known who was a victim of a hate crime. Their deaths have been attributed to other causes or they simply passed virtually as anonymously as they moved in and out of our communities. Today, we pause and we remember.

It is in the act of remembering that we also say, no more.  We are paying attention that Transgender people are far too often attacked for being themselves.  We remember that no one is free until everyone is free. We remember that the justice work for equal rights is equal rights for all people. We remember and we say no more hate crimes - against anyone. No hate crimes against people because of gender, gender identification, gender orientation or race or any perceived or real difference.

We are all children of God. As people of faith, we believe in the radical hospitality of God. We are learning the gift of God's diverse community. We are learning to be truly welcoming. We are learning that we have far more in common than what differentiates us. God calls us to be one with each other; to love our neighbor. This includes our Trans brothers and sisters.

In the midst of protests about gay marriage rights and asking the question how do gay marriages threaten heterosexual marriages; it is good for us to likewise ask how someone's gender identity or gender expression is a threat to our own? There are many people who do not understand the experience of the transgender person. Not understanding another's experience is not a reason to fear or to hate. Neither is it a reason to stand in the way of their freedoms or safety. There is no justification for victimizing another simply because they are different from us.

We must continue the work for rights, equal rights for all people. We must continue the work to make this world safer - safer for transgender people, for gay and lesbian people, for women, for children - for everyone. This is supposed to be a country with liberty and justice for all. It is our work to continue to tear down the walls that divide and build up hope. It is our work to build bridges that liberate and unite. It is our spiritual work to practice the radical welcome of God. It is our work and our responsibility to remember. As we remember, recommit to do what you can to make this world safer for everyone!


Prayer
God, we remember and we grieve. We remember and we learn. We remember and we hope. Amen.