The Landing holds vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance

At 5:00 p.m. on November 20, community members gathered by Sweetgrass Bear to hold a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

This event honoured and remembered transgender people who have lost their lives in the past year. Hosted by The Landing, the vigil was a part of their programming for Trans Week of Remembrance and Celebration. Attendees held tea candles and listened to poems and speeches from speakers.

Jhalak Batta, a Landing volunteer, read two poems. In an interview with The Gateway afterwards, Batta talked about the importance of having safe spaces like The Landing.

“You’re able to step away from a little bit of bad just for a little bit of time.”

Soup McLennan, a Landing volunteer, came out to the vigil to mourn and show solidarity with people who are hurting. McLennan read a speech hy wrote for the event. While McLennan thought it was important to speak on the difficulties trans people face, they also wanted to emphasize “the joy of our community.” In an interview with The Gateway afterwards, McLennan spoke about the process of writing the speech.

“I cried a lot. It took me quite a few hours to read it over without completely sobbing and losing where I was,” McLennan said. “I drew a lot on the feelings that I feel when I run the transgender meet-up with The Landing. I’m just a volunteer, but we have people come in with joy, and we have people come in with severe sorrow, feeling dejected from society or feeling in danger.”

“It was important for me to come out and speak today so that I could connect with the community,” Landing volunteer says

Morgan Wolske is a Landing volunteer who read a poem by Tris Mamone called “Trans Day of Remembrance 2017.” She came to the event to connect with the local community. 

“I found it was important for me to come out and speak today so that I could connect with the community. And so that I could gain a better understanding of what trans folks are going through on campus.”

Arthur Macatangay, a medical laboratory sciences student, spoke about a difficult time he experienced four years ago. He described feeling “heaviness, numbness, [and] tiredness.” One day he broke down crying to a close friend. Now, four years later, Macatangay describes the progress he’s made as “surreal.”

“The build up over the years of knowing I was different, but I didn’t have the courage, confidence, or the vocabulary to speak about it just yet. That and the pressure to succeed in my classes was enough for me to break down into the arms of a good friend of mine,” Macatangay said.

“It’s surreal sometimes, how I’ve gotten from where I was four years ago, to standing in front of you all today. With each glowing sunrise to each passing sunset, I am reminded of the beauty of being alive. Comfortable in my own skin.”

“We like to focus a lot of our efforts on programming that uplifts trans students,” Landing staff member says

Emily Lukacs, who works at The Landing as a student coordinator, helped plan the week’s events. She said observing Trans Week of Remembrance and Celebration is a way to bring many of the issues trans students face to the wider community.

Michael Griffiths, University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) vice-president (student life), said it’s important for trans students to see themselves being celebrated. As well, observing Trans Week of Remembrance and Celebration and similar initiatives are important, he said. 

“It’s really important for us to signal our values as a SU and campus that initiatives like this are really important to us.”

This vigil was one of several events The Landing hosted as a part of Trans Week of Remembrance and Celebration. 

From November 16 – 22, The Landing projected words of affirmation for the campus trans community on SUBstage. On November 21, the Landing partnered with the Dean of Students to host a Trans Joy Dinner and Open Mic Night. This event was open to trans and gender diverse U of A community members.

Although hosting events that encourage remembrance are important, Lukacs said it’s similarly important to host uplifting events.

“While we recognize that it’s very important to have that remembrance moment, it can be a very dark moment for students and can be very triggering,” Lukacs said. “So we like to focus a lot of our efforts on programming that uplifts trans students and gives them moments of safety and comfort.”

“Initiatives like this are really positive and one of the things that makes campus so great,” vice-president (student life) says

Although the Trans Week of Remembrance and Celebration ended on November 24, Griffiths said “it’s important to keep in mind the spirit of this week” going forward.

It was a “very somber week” at The Landing, Lukacs said. Throughout the year, The Landing plans to continue to address the issues faced by trans students. 

Lastly, Lukacs and Griffiths expressed gratitude for all The Landing staff and volunteers who helped plan and execute the events.

“Initiatives like this are really positive and one of the things that makes campus so great. I just want to extend gratitude to the folks who put it together,” Griffiths said.

Note: Arthur Macatangay was formerly employed by The Gateway as the 2022-2023 Managing Editor.