Transgender Awareness Week 13-19 November

13 to 19 November is Transgender Awareness Week which seeks to help increase the visibility of transgender persons and address the myriad issues faced by the community. The week is a lead up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on 20 November which honours the memory of transgender people whose lives have been lost in acts of anti-transgender violence in that year. In 2021, South Africa was hit by a wave of brutal murders of, and hate crimes against, trans and queer people in general. SALO has submitted comments in support of the passing of the Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill. However, our dialogues continue to emphasise that legislative change is only one of many aspects of our society that need to change in order to end hate crimes. Through our dialogues, SALO has aimed to open up conversations around the challenges faced by the LGBTQI+ community, not only in South Africa but also in the SADC region. #TransAwarenessWeek