A memorial service in Decatur on Thursday night brought community members together to honor transgender lives lost to violence. Speakers urged attendees to remember victims and continue pushing for safety and acceptance.
The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance event was held at First Christian Church of Decatur. Organizers said at least 27 transgender, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people have been killed in the United States since last November. They noted the number was 36 in 2024 and warned that crimes may now be more underreported while self-harm within the community continues to rise.
Bella Bautista, the executive director and founder of the nonprofit This Doesn’t Define Me in Cartersville, said the gathering was meant to focus on those who have died around the world because of violence, including what she described as growing dangers in Latin America.
“We are here for a Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day of remembering people that have unfortunately passed away in the trans community, you know, due to various issues such as violence,” Bautista said. She added, “Globally, I think that we’ve lost hundreds, thousands of people in places like Latin America. We’re losing hundreds of people to violence every day, especially under this current political climate. Violence is going to be something that is going up, unfortunately. So it is imperative that we stick together as a community and help events like this.”
Bautista said each participating organization brought stories of people they had personally lost. “Today we have a select group of speakers and organizations that have come together to commemorate people that we’ve lost personally,” she said.
Pastor Paul opened the service with a prayer focused on grief, unity and resilience. “Spirit of the universe, settle on us in this place this night,” he said. “Remind us in our grief. Remind us of our love, remind us that we are wonderfully made in spirit and in the image of the universe.”
He told attendees that the day was intended to honor transgender and gender-nonconforming people “who have been stolen from us by violence, by hatred, and by indifference.” He encouraged allies to act with intention, saying support must go beyond attendance. “Being an ally is not a title that you claim. It is an action,” he said.
Samantha Stevens Divinity, who described herself as a transgender activist, urged the crowd to learn why pronouns and visibility matter. “Everyone deserves and needs to be heard, seen, and to be understood,” she said. “As long as you have breath on this side of the world and on this part of creation, you deserve to have a life of your own.”
Organizers also presented a tribute to Tracy Boyd Geller-Jones as part of the memorial.
