According to OutFront:
Please join us for a vigil Friday, January 21 at 6pm at the MCTC Library (General Mills Room) to honor and remember the life of Krissy Bates, a member of our community whose life was cut short by a terrible act of violence.
Violence threatens all LGBTQ communities, and national reports show that transgender women like Krissy are targeted for violence with terrible frequency. As long as members of our community are singled out for… harassment and violence, our work is unfinished. Please join us in solidarity to raise one united voice to demand an end to this horrible violence.
After a short program at the library we will march to Krissy’s apartment building a few blocks away. Please bring candles, flowers and signs displaying positive messages of hope that our community can embrace to push back the darkness of fear and create a safer city.
Minnesota Trans Health Coalition’s Shot Clinic will be hosting a community event at the Queer Colllective Space at 3405 Chicago after the march.http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186271414736384 for more information.
We would like to give great thanks to all of Krissy’s friends, our volunteers, and community partners who are uniting in the wake of this week’s terrible events to create these events of remembrance to honor Krissy’s life including: TYSN, Barbara Satin of NGLTF, Spirit of the Lakes, and MCTC.
Event details can be viewed here.
Following the vigil and march will be a jam in remembrance of Bates: “After the vigil our new queer collective is hosting a Tranny Jam. This will be a chance for the community to eat tasty treats, dance, hang out, and enjoy each other.”
Details of that event can be viewed here.
Pfund responded to the murder this week:
“We were shocked to learn of Chrissie Bates’ senseless murder,” says Susan Raffo, PFund executive director. “Our offices are just blocks from where the crime took place. Chrissie is not a nameless victim, she was a member of our community – a living, breathing human being.
“We know violence directed towards transgender people continues to be disproportionately high. At PFund, we are committed to supporting the organizations in our community that work against the roots of this violence while also empowering those most affected. However, this responsibility cannot lie solely at the feet of community organizations. We implore our community members and allies to heighten their efforts in working to end this violence and the environment that lets it grow.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Chrissie’s family and friends,” says Lupe Castillo, PFund board president. “May Chrissie rest in peace and may we honor her memory by opposing hatred and violence, including when it is directed against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. ”