Adult Medicine, Advocacy, Community Engagement, Gender Health, LGBT Trending, LGBTQ+, Public Health

This is Transgender Awareness Week

Transgender Awareness Week
20
Nov

We mourn today as we witness another senseless act of violence on the LGBTQ+ community. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the five people whose lives were senselessly taken, and the eighteen others who were injured in a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Today is a day to remember the lives we’ve lost in the transgender community on Transgender Day of Remembrance, and honor countless more that bear scars that we cannot see. Strength and resilience are hallmarks of our community. It is at times like these that our strong sense of community will be shown. As an organization dedicated to providing care to the region’s LGBTQ+ community, we stand with you in remembrance – now, and always.

By Barrett White

This year, Transgender Awareness Week runs from November 13-19, 2022. The week-long observance is followed by Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, memorializing victims of transphobic violence. The point of these annual observances is to raise awareness of the transgender community through advocacy and education.

According to GLAAD, transgender adults may experience higher levels of depression and anxiety than cisgender individuals (those who identify with their sex assigned at birth). GLAAD goes on to detail that up to 41% of transgender adults have attempted suicide, as compared to less than 2% of the general population.

These figures are important, but they’re only half the story: These numbers drop significantly when a trans individual is shown support and acceptance from their family, classmates and coworkers. If you would like to know more about how you can be a better ally to the transgender people in your life, there are resources for available to you:

  • Trans Lifeline Friends & Family call-back service has counselors available. Schedule a call at (877) 565-8860.
  • Transfamily Support Services offers free virtual support groups and family engagement sessions.
  • PFLAG’s Straight for Equality program provides learning sessions to train trans allies in the workplace.

In observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance, Legacy will illuminate the Westheimer-facing façade of our Montrose clinic with the colors of the transgender flag on the evening of November 20.