International Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil
Carmen Rupe and friends are holding a memorial vigil to mark International Transgender Day of Remembrance on Saturday.
People are asked to gather from 7pm under the Lamp for Mary artwork in Mary’s Place off Bourke Street in Surry Hills to lay a flower or light a candle with Carmen to remember the victims of hate crimes motivated by transphobia.
This is the first time the group have held the event publicly after holding private gatherings for years, and around 100 people are expected to attend.
Carmen Rupe is a legendary transgender performer who performed in the Les Girls review in the 1960’s and was inducted into the Variety Hall of Fame in 2008.
In the same year she lead the Decade of the Diva float in the Sydney Mardi Gras.
Other events marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance include a workshop by Dr Tracie O’Keefe running from 11.30am-1.30pm and a performance night hosted by Regrette Etcetera from 6pm-10pm, both at Chippendale’s Serial Space.
International Transgender Day of Remembrance was created to honour American transwoman Rita Hester (pictured), whose 1998 murder inspired the ‘Remembering Our Dead’ online project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil.
Info:
Saturday, November 20
Carmen Rupe & Friends Vigil
Mary’s Place, Surry Hills from 7pm
Workshop- 11.30am-1.30pm, Performance 6pm-10pm
Serial Space, 33 Wellington St, Chippendale.
