BETHESDA, Md. — The Q Bar shooting was a dark cloud over an already difficult day for the LGBTQ+ community commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday.
One by one, several religious leaders gathered at the Bethesda United Church of Christ read the names of the 71 trans and non-binary individuals killed this year in the United States according to Trans Lives Matter.
Among the names, Jasper Aaron Lynch of Mclean, Virginia. The 26-year-old trans man was shot and killed by Fairfax County Police in his home on July 7. Surveillance video made public by the police department shows an officer shooting the man who was suffering a mental health crisis. Lynch is seen charging at three of the officers holding a wine bottle.
A report released last week by the Human Rights Campaign indicated that at least 32 people have been killed this year. Black transgender women represented 63% of all victims.
The authors behind the report recognized that the number is likely to be an undercount considering unreported death and misgendering of victims.
"We will not allow for one more trans body to be violated or tortured or to be killed," said Jesy Littlejohn, one of the speakers.
Others shared their frustration amid the recent attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, referencing anti-trans legislation and the Colorado Springs shooting.
"There is no place for violence, hatred, and bigotry in America. Yet, tragically, as last night’s attack in Colorado Springs reminds us, too many LGBTQ+ people in the United States — and around the world — continue to face unconscionable attacks," said President Joe Biden in a statement from the White House.
LGBTQ+ activist Ezra Towne was another of the speakers during the Sunday night ceremony. They say that amid the violence and legislation against their community, they have one message for trans and gender non-conforming individuals, "Keep going. You'll get there. It might be slow, it might be fast. Just keep going. Keep calling on that support from people when you are ready, you won't always be."
The role of allies was a topic of conversation during the event. Activists telling the crowd that now more than ever they need people to be vocal about injustices and their support for members of the LGBTQ+ community.