As Transgender Awareness Week comes to a close and we take part in Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor and stand in support of the Trans+ community. It’s particularly important to recognize the violence and discrimination our Trans+ community contends with every day and to advocate for their safety and equal rights.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in honor of the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in Massachusetts the year before. This began a tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence.
I consider myself an optimist, but I am troubled by the danger and oppression the Trans+ community faces. So, I’m making a consistent effort to better educate myself about these issues, take action, and participate in more conversations and I encourage you to do the same. I’m proud of Credit Karma’s educational offerings over the last week, including an allyship workshop with Schuyler Bailar, a conversation with Trans+ journalist and activist Erin Reed, and a documentary screening for Transgender Day of Remembrance. While these are important steps to raise awareness, I know we need to do more.
One of our most closely held values at Credit Karma is our willingness to stand alongside and champion groups and individuals fighting for equal treatment. We support an inclusive and diverse work environment where each person can be themselves. We encourage our teams to take action in their communities, participate in our company donation-matching program and to take advantage of paid time off to vote and volunteer.
If you are in a position to donate, please join me in supporting the Transgender Law Center, an organization that works to change law and policy to protect Trans+ and gender nonconforming people. Even small actions, like checking in with Trans+ coworkers and friends, taking the time to get informed or identifying one thing you can do to help make a difference, can make big changes.
Here’s to progress,
Ken