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Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff writer
Nov 3, 2010
Ralliers listen to speeches during an Oct. 23 rally in MacArthur Square. – Photo: Dan Wilson
Nearly 100 LGBT activists and allies gathered in Milwaukee’s MacArthur Square on Oct. 23 for a rally to remember recent victims of violence and suicide and to denounce bullying and other acts of hatred.
The event began with a march around the Milwaukee County Courthouse, where the convicted killer of transgender woman Chanel Larkin is set to be sentenced on Dec. 20. Andrew Olaciregui faces up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine for shooting Larkin in early May.
Marchers carried signs and chanted as they worked their way up North 10th Street and east on West State Street. A number of marchers wore blue T-shirts that said, “I am worth protecting,” which were provided by the event’s organizer FORGE, a transgender rights group.
Despite the solemn theme and gloomy skies, the march’s mood was positive. Some participants were veterans of such rallies, including Stephanie Hume and Jacquie Lindo, the former coordinator of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center’s anti-violence program.
Others were newcomers. Sagar Tolani, a member of the Milwaukee Graduate Assistant Association, said he only began learning about transgender issues over the summer in the wake of Larkin’s death. “This is something we all need to be aware of,” he said. “I’m here to support people who are being hurt by dumb actions.”
The march was followed by speeches on the square under the watchful eyes of Milwaukee police officers.
“We’re here to mourn the four violent deaths in Milwaukee of LGBT people since May,” FORGE’s Loree Cook-Daniels said. Those incidents include a hit-and-run accident in which a gay man was killed in front of a gay bar, the unresolved slaying of a gay man who was found dead in his apartment and a lesbian who was shot to death by her partner. (WiG did not report on the deaths of the two male victims because they were closeted and sources would not identify them as gay on the record.) All four victims were African-American.
“Hatred and discrimination falls hardest on those who are transgender and people of color,” Cook-Daniels said.
Milwaukee MCC Pastor Wendy Woodruff read a statement from U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee. “We must stand strong together to end hate violence,” she read. “Hate is not an American value.”
Larkin’s grandmother Carla Clemmon tried to address the rally but broke down and was unable to speak.
“As more of us continue to live our truth, it’s possible that more of us will face this (violence),” Brice Smith told the rally. “People are yearning for a sense of community. Today that’s what we are doing. If you ever forget or doubt that you are loved, let me, the other people on this stage, those around you … remind you that you are loved.”
