Sunday, March 6, 2011

VIDEO: The Vigil for Tyra Trent

A few weeks ago the body of a young Transgendered woman, Tyra Trent, was found in a basement. On Friday, the LGBT community held a vigil for her.

Baltimore Sun reports:
A crowd of about 50 gathered at the corner of North Avenue and Charles Street, braving chilly winds to remember Tyra Trent. Speaking over the din of rush-hour traffic, Webb said: "Our struggle goes on. Let's keep the good fight going."

The vigil was organized by Sandy Rawls, director of Trans-United, which provides help to members of the transgender community.

"We all have our struggles," Rawls said. But, she added, resources are scarce for transgender individuals.

Rawls said she had been working with Trent to formally change her name and obtain her GED.

"Being transgender takes a strong mind, not just to fight society but your own insecurities — a lot want to give up," said Stacy Williams, 35, who knew Trent since she was 15, before she made the "transition," which he said took Trent two or three years.

He said it was a "major step" for Trent to work toward a high school equivalency degree after struggling with drugs — "but she got her life on track," he said.

Williams was among several of Trent's friends who attended the gathering.

"It feels good to see everyone here supporting the same cause," he said.

Two people led songs, but most people remained quiet, clutching small white candles inside Dixie cups.

Trent's mother spoke briefly to the crowd, thanking everyone and asking them to "keep us all in your prayers."

Please watch the video

A hat tip and wink to Rod 2.0

4 comments:

Robyn said...

"Her lifestyle put her at risk"? What a crock. Living en homme to conform to society when you know you're TG is a lifestyle choice. Tyra was living her own life until it ended tragically.

Mind Of Mine said...

I agree with R.J.

Putting partial blame on the victim just sends the wrong message.

Unknown said...

The hatred that exist in this world just cripples me sometimes!

Anonymous said...

She must've trust some one.

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.