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Monday, November 23, 2009
Gone Too Soon
By Aurelio Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
Terri Benally often watched with pride from the audience when her big sister, Cynthia Noon, spoke publicly for alcoholics seeking recovery, ill people seeking wellness, or other invisible people.
"I want to make her proud now by being here for her," Noon said during an emotional tribute to her murdered sister at the 11th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday at the Metropolitan Community Church of Albuquerque.
Terri wanted what everyone wants: love, security and the freedom to be herself, Noon said.
"Terri was a good sister to me and she had so many friends," Noon said, displaying a group picture of her sister's friends, many of them, like her, transgender people.
"Terri is the one way back here," said Noon, a health care advocate. She pointed to Terri's smiling face trying hard to be seen over taller friends.
"I don't know how many of her friends have gone the same way, as murder victims," Noon said. "There was fear in Terri that she could die like that. It's just so sad there are so many people out there who don't understand what goes on inside a person."
Benally, 42, was found beaten to death in July on Maple SE. She was the third Navajo transgender person slain in Albuquerque since 2004. The others were Kelly (Frederick) Watson, 32, killed on June 9, and Ryan Shey Hoskie, 23, found beaten to death on Dec. 27, 2004.
Remembering the 141 dead worldwide was the major theme of the evening, as spiritual and community leaders spoke on violence against transgender people, commenting on lows and highs of the campaign to combat hate crimes against them.
Memorial organizer Penn Baker reported a trend, in that the 141 dead represented an increase from 35 the year before. She added that she believed that the figure was almost certainly under-reported.
"Through this vigil, we express our love and respect for these victims in the face of national indifference," Baker said, urging about 100 people at the observance to read the individual stories of the people who died, and how they died, posted to the interior walls of the church.
Speakers also reported on progress made in combating hate crimes, some pointing out that New Mexico is among the first 10 in the country to pass legislation providing protection for transgender men and women.
Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity," his or her self-identification as woman, man or neither, not matching one's "assigned sex," which is identification by others as male or female based on physical or genetic sex, Baker said. "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation.
"I understood what a great person Terri was," Noon said. "She loved people, even if they hated her. She loved her relatives, no matter if they didn't understand."
Noon said as Terri's big sister, she'd get angry at how Terri was treated, and often asked her how she could let people treat her like they did.
"She'd say because they don't know," Noon said. "She'd say I still love them."
In addition to speakers and music, participants lit 141 candles in honor of the dead.
Besides remembering the fallen, organizers also hope to raise awareness, Baker said.
"All we want is for people to know that we're people just like everyone else," she said. "We want the same rights as everyone else, nothing more and nothing less."
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