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Murders of Transgender Women Prompt Rally at West Village Park on Monday

By Danielle Tcholakian | October 30, 2015 5:07pm | Updated on November 2, 2015 8:56am
 Transgender activists and allies plan to rally at Christopher Park on Monday evening, then march downtown to the African Burial Ground.
Transgender activists and allies plan to rally at Christopher Park on Monday evening, then march downtown to the African Burial Ground.
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DNAinfo/Danielle Tcholakian

WEST VILLAGE — Disturbed by what they say is the highest number of murders of transgendered women in the U.S. on record, activists are planning a rally at Christopher Park on Monday evening.

This year, 22 transgender women were murdered across the country, activists say, and they are certain there are more that have gone unreported or were misidentified.

“This march and rally will let the nation know that we are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said Jennifer Louise Lopez, the executive director of the organization planning the event, Everything Transgender in NYC (ETNYC)

The rally is set to start at 5:30 on Nov. 2 in Christopher Park across from the Stonewall Inn. The activists plan to set off on a march at 6 p.m., ending up at the African Burial Ground National Monument at 290 Broadway, near City Hall. They expect to get to the monument by 7 p.m. and hold another rally there until 8 p.m.

“We need the nation to understand the underlying reasons why trans people are being murdered," Lopez said, adding that many of this year's murders were a result of "poverty, sex work, and domestic violence."

After the march and the rally, members of ETNYC will be on hand to speak with any members of the trans community and other organizations interested in holding public meetings on the issue of transgender violence.