New London — OutCT held its second annual Everyone Deserves Pride vigil Monday night at City Hall in remembrance of the Queer and Transgender People of Color, or QTPOC, who have been victims of fatal violence across the country.

This year's vigil was held on the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, a series of protests started by a Black transgender woman named Marsha P. Johnson.

"We hope they are proud of what we've accomplished," Kia Baird, president of OutCT, said about the leaders of the Stonewall riots. Baird said things have not been easy since then but that the movement has to keep going and keep pushing forward.

Since OutCT's vigil last year, 55 Black and Brown transgender and nonconforming lives were lost. The names of those people were read at the vigil.

In 2020 alone, there was an all-time record of 44 deaths, according to the Human Rights Campaign. So far, 29 lives have been lost in 2021.

Lindsay Gillete, a board member of OutCT and co-director of its youth program, said the victims who came to mind during the vigil were a 16-year-old transgender boy and his sibiling killed by their mother in 2020 in Pennsylvania. 

"We're more than a diverse community, we want to be inclusive," said Mayor Michael Passero, who spoke briefly at the vigil. "This ceremony is important to understand our failures."

At the vigil, OutCT board members handed out white carnations to those in attendance, each flower labeled with a name of one of the 55 people whose lives were lost. Following the announcement of each name, a board member clanged a bell and an attendee placed their flower on a makeshift altar.

Poet and makeup enthusiast Benjamin Crowley, the guest speaker at the vigil, showed the attendees the tattoo on his arm, which read "define yourself," as he shared with everyone his journey of transition into a man.

Crowley hoped the vigil would be a celebration of life and questioning why in 2021 vigils like this are still happening.

j.vazquez@theday.com