On Friday, Nov. 18, Fresno State’s Cross-Cultural and Gender Center (CCGC) and Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, along with the local nonprofit Trans-E-Motion, will present the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance event.

The free event will be held at the Satellite Student Union (SSU) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to honor transgender individuals whose lives have been lost due to violence and transphobia.

Lexey Jenkins, lead student coordinator of LGBTQ+ Programs and Services at the CCGC, said the event has been held on campus for eight years and emphasized the importance of Fresno State hosting an event like this.

“Having an event like this on campus and having the Fresno State logo on the flyer is huge because it shows that Fresno State is standing as an ally for those communities and giving those communities a space to memorialize those that are lost; look forward to what’s coming and provide resources,” Jenkins said.

The two-hour event will feature a resource fair with nearly 20 organizations tabling for the first hour, including Trans-E-Motion, Fresno Spectrum Center, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) LGBTQ+ Resource Center and LGBT Fresno.

“[The resource fair] allows [visitors] to gain more information and access to these resources, whether they’re an ally or they’re in the community themselves. It would be important to know what’s out there to be able to help themselves or others,” said Zayn Anthony, who is chair of Trans-E-Motion and the master of ceremonies for the event.

The second hour will contain entertainment and speakers hosted by Anthony, who has hosted the event for the past four years and co-hosted prior to that.

“[This is] a really powerful and meaningful event, even if you don’t identify as LGBTQ+ or trans or gender nonconforming,” Jenkins said. “So if students or staff are thinking about it, I say, come take a look. There’s resources on campus that, even if you aren’t trans or LGBTQ+, you can probably use.”

Registration is available online.