DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

The Phoenix Center will observe Transgender Day of Remembrance tonight from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the organization’s offi ces at 109 E. Lawrence Ave. The event has been growing nationally since its inception in 1998 to remember Rita Hester, a transgendered woman who was murdered in Massachusetts. Observed each Nov. 20, Transgender Day of Remembrance has spread to hundreds of cities, including many outside the United States, with observances typically featuring candlelight vigils and the reading of names of transgendered people who have been killed because of hatred and prejudice. The event at the Phoenix Center will include speakers and reading of names of transgendered people whose lives have been cut short during the previous year. At least 10 transgendered women have been killed in the United States this year, most recently in Indianapolis on Oct. 25, when the body of Tajshon Sherman, who had been shot in the head, was found in a housing project, according to advocate.com, a website dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered issues.