The City of West Hollywood’s Transgender Advisory Board last night honored several community advocates and activists.
The ceremony in the City Council Chambers was attended by Mayor Lauren Meister, who made a presentation declaring November as Transgender Awareness Month in the City of West Hollywood. Also in attendance were council members John Duran, John Heilman and Lindsay Horvath.
Transgender Awareness Month started four years ago as an effort to shine a light on the authentic lives of the transgender community. This year’s events started with a kick-off ceremony held at City Hall last Tuesday with a lighting ceremony, with the City Hall building awash with the colors of pink blue and white.
Those honored last night were:
— AJ King, an activist who works tirelessly behind the scenes on countless community boards and non-profit and community-based organizations around Los Angeles and West Hollywood, to bring programming, benefits and resources that enhance and grow the LGBT community. King has led numerous town hall meetings, forums and focus groups instrumental in creating criteria for a Trans Wellness Center. He currently works as a consultant with UCLA’s CHIPTS program.
— Chela Demuir, who has worked for decades as a community advocate during her time at Minority AIDS Project, APLA, and then at the L.A. LGBT Center. Her activities to bring healthy practices to the Ball community have earned her much respect amongst her peers. She is known for inspiring people to work as a team for the betterment of the transgender community.
— The creators of “HerStory.” This video web series was developed by mostly trans and queer people and focuses on the real and complex lives of transwomen, especially when it comes to trans dating and love. HerStory had its first viewing in West Hollywood and nominated for an Emmy Award in the “Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama” category.
Co-written by Jen Richards and Laura Zak, directed by Sydney Freehand, with cinematography by Bérénice Eveno, and produced by Katherine Fisher/Speed of Joy Productions, “Her Story” features predominantly LGBTQ women. It aspires to positively shift cultural perceptions of trans and queer women, who in the media have long been seen as punchlines, killers and indications of urban grit, pathetic tragedies and dangerous sirens rather than complex characters who share strength in sisterhood.
There are several other events scheduled for the rest of the month including the Trans Documentary Sunday on Nov. 13 at the Council Chambers at 1 p.m. The screening will include
“Raising Zoey,” a film by Dante Allencastre about 13-year-old trans activist Zoey Luna, who wants nothing more than to simply go to school, learn and have fun with her friends in Downey. With the help of her mother Ofelia, her older sister Leticia and the ACLU, Zoey fought school officials for her right to self-identify in school. Another film that will be screened is
“Shunned” by Janice Villarosa, which is an award-winning and thought-provoking documentary about the trauma and struggles faced by a group of trans women in the Philippines as they compete in a pageant and find strength in their convictions and one other.
There will also be a Transgender Wellness & Wellbeing Conference produced by Trans Life LA at 10 a.m. on Nov. 19 at the National Council of Jewish Women, 543 N. Fairfax Blvd.
Finally, on Nov. 20, the Transgender Advisory board will commemorate the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor the lives of those lost to transgender hated and violence. This year there have been over 24 deaths in the United States, mostly of transgender women of color. There will be inspirational speakers including Isa Noyla from the Transgender Law Center, Jade Fields and performances by the Transgender Chorus LA and the Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles. The event will culminate in a March in Reflection on Santa Monica Blvd.
Cool.