City Council marks Transgender Day of Remembrance in Denver

Denver City Councilman Robin Kniech rattled off statistics and news events that have marked setbacks in the fight for transgender people’s rights this year, from an increase in killings to President Trump’s attempts to ban them from serving openly in the military.

And yet last week brought an illustration of strides made in transgender rights: the election of Danica Roem, a Virginia Democrat, as the nation’s first openly transgender state lawmaker. And Colorado, while lacking some protections that advocates have sought, long has protected gender identity in its civil rights law.

Kniech, Denver’s first openly gay council member, cited all of those markers Monday night as the council for the first time approved a proclamation marking Nov. 20 as National Transgender Day of Remembrance. The vote was 13-0.

“In the midst of all these threats, there is hope,” Kniech said, referring to court fights over the proposed military service ban. “They are fighting, and they are winning.”

She and other council members voiced support for the transgender community in the face of threats to their safety nationally. Twenty-five transgender people have been killed by violent means so far this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

“That’s an uptick from last year, which was an uptick from the year before,” Kniech said.