Transgender Day of Remembrance

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Newman for yielding. It is a great honor to be here today under such somber circumstances.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance and Transgender Awareness Week. It is with a heavy heart that I recognize that this has been the deadliest year on record for our transgender sisters, brothers, and siblings. I want to share with you the names of three individuals that we lost in my home State of California. I grieve with the families, loved ones, and communities that lost these young people far too early for no reason other than hate.

Rayanna Pardo, age 26, was a beloved daughter and sister living in East Los Angeles who left behind a family and community that loved her deeply. She was lost in March of this year.

Natalia Smut, age 24, was a celebrated drag artist from Milpitas, California. She gave captivating performances and had a courageous and creative spirit, and she was described by those who knew her as a jewel in her community. She was lost in April.

Poe Black, also known as Oliver Jackson and Legion, was an indigenous, trans-masculine and two-spirit activist and artist. He was a tireless advocate who used his social media platform to support various social justice causes, including by documenting his transition to educate and inspire his followers. He was lost in May.

Each of these young people leaves behind a network of family, friends, and community upon which they have made an indelible impression. I join their communities in honoring their light and legacy and share in the grief that they were taken from the people who loved them.

It is in remembrance of these three individuals that I say this: Transgender Week of Awareness cannot only be about awareness. It also must be about action.

We cannot pretend that the rhetoric heard here in this Chamber and in statehouses across the country does not have a direct impact on the lives of transgender people. This year, we have seen the introduction of over 100 anti-trans bills in State legislatures, whipping up a moral panic around the identities of adults and targeting children.

The dehumanizing debates over whether an individual should have control over their own body, whether they should be allowed to compete on the athletic field, whether they even exist, these arguments all connect directly to the types of attacks that killed Rayanna, Natalia, Poe Black, and so many more.

It is not enough to only recognize the devastating statistics. We must also make policy decisions that recognize transgender people for who they are.

Who are they? They are loved ones, community members, family members, individuals who add depth and richness to our society and are defined by far more than statistics, hatred, or bigotry.

So this Transgender Remembrance Day, remember those who were lost by making noise. Raise your voice against the persistent and dangerous misinformation about transgender identity. Raise your voice in celebration of loved ones, friends, family, and community members who are transgender.

Raise your voice to support the next generation of transgender and nonbinary young people so that they may recognize the great beauty and joy in their identity rather than living in fear or shame.

Now, we cannot bring those who have been lost back to their loved ones, but we can play a role in ensuring that other friends, families, and communities do not have to suffer a loss like Rayanna's, Natalia's and Poe Black's communities did. So I call on my colleagues this year to turn awareness into action because making policy that centers on safety, equity, and prosperity for transgender people should not be an effort that lasts only a week, but it should be all year round and throughout the rest of our lives.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

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