Tracee McDaniel, the CEO and Founder of Juxtaposed Center in Atlanta nationwide, came to Athens yesterday to be a part of an event connected with Transgender Awareness Week. Athens participats in Transgender Awareness Week through at least two events.

Tracee McDaniel spoke about her personal struggles and triumphs of being a transgender woman of color. McDaniel shared her experience at the Tate Student Center in front of about 80 people, mostly students. After she shared her testimony, she opened the room for Q&A.

Events like this provides the opportunity to start conversations about the issues the Athens LGBT community go through. According to GLAAD, the purpose of this week is to “help raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and address the issues these communities face.”

“I think if we don’t talk about it then we are never going to ever solve any of the problems in this community,” said Amanda Cameron.

The second event in Athens from Transgender Awareness Week takes place tomorrow, November 20th. Transgender Day of Remembrance will take place at the Intersection (3rd floor of Tate Student Center) from 12-1 p.m. The purpose of the event is to remember all of the transgender people lost to violence. The first Transgender Day of Remembrance took place on November 20, 1998. Activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith started DOR after she noticed the murders of two trans women of color received little attention.

Transgender Awareness Week goes from November 14-20.  To find out more about the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Tate tomorrow go to lgbtcenter.uga.edu.