Remembering Lives Lost at Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial In Moorhead

Organizers say this is a time to grieve and lay to rest members of the community.

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Tristate Transgender is having its Transgender Day of Remembrance at the First Congregation United Church of Christ.

This is the 10th time the group has held this memorial for lives lost.

Organizers say this is a time to grieve and lay to rest members of the community.

But it’s also a time for hope and to teach tolerance and encourage others in the community to show their support of a group under attack.

For Katrina Koesterman a member of the LGBTQ+ community who came out over 7 years ago and is now the president of Tristate Transgender says all they want is the violence to end and to be accepted.

“Every year the list seems to grow bigger and these are people whose only crime is being who they are for us in the transgender community we are not asking for a lot we are just asking for acceptance,” Koesterman said.

During the memorial the group lit candles. One for every ten lives lost, a candle for those unidentified, and a candle for those unidentified as Trans or non–binary.

Katrina says a big step to help is by respecting and caring for those members of the community and to respect and use the proper pronouns and names they identify as.

Katrina also says the organization is holding a transgender Gala in February at a location that hasn’t been decided yet.