Austin mayor pro tem proclaims Transgender Day of Remembrance; advocates call for protection and care

Vanessa Fuentes, Austin’s mayor pro tem and the council member for District 2, read a proclamation at City Hall declaring 11/20/2025 Transgender Day of Remembrance and urged the city to stand "visibly and unequivocally" with transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive residents.

Casey Shepherd Coyne, chair of the city’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission, accepted the proclamation and described gender-affirming care as "lifesaving." Coyne named a friend lost to violence—Courtney Purvis, known by the stage name America Revlon—and said the community must "stand up and fight for Black trans lives, especially Black trans women."

Shafina Kaki, the city’s human rights officer and executive sponsor for the LGBTQIA+ commission, said remembrance requires confronting the conditions that enable violence and discrimination. "Remembrance alone is not enough," Kaki said, pledging the city will work to make dignity, safety and belonging "very lived realities."

The proclamation cited recent counts reported to the city: that more than 281 transgender and gender-diverse people were reported murdered worldwide between October 2024 and September 2025, and that at least 48 transgender and gender-expansive individuals were lost in the United States in the prior year, including deaths by homicide and suicide. The speakers emphasized that these losses disproportionately affect transgender women of color.

The event concluded with a photo opportunity; no council votes or formal policy actions were recorded during the segment. The council’s public remarks focused on solidarity, service and the need for continued local policy and community responses to protect vulnerable residents.