Pride Alliance celebrates Transgender Awareness Week with events on campus this week, Nov. 12 through Nov. 16.

“Transgender Awareness Week invites Wash. U. students to not only raise awareness of trans and non-binary identities but also to give visibility and support to our fellow trans students,” Pride Alliance wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We also highly encourage cisgender allies to attend and to bring a friend who would benefit from education on the experiences of transgender people.”

Last month, a leaked memo from the national Department of Health and Human Services revealed an effort to adopt a definition of gender that would conform to a male-female binary based on assigned sex at birth, erasing trans identities.

“I think especially now, with the leaked memos from the White House about erasing trans identities, it’s a really important time for trans people and allies to stand up for trans rights,” Pride Alliance Co-Public Relations Chair Bread Lee said. “It’s really important to show trans people that they have a community here at Wash. U. and they can reach out and have that space.”

The week will open Monday, Nov. 12 with St. Louis-native activist Elaine Cao. She will speak in the Danforth University Center 239 at 6 p.m.

Also on Monday, there will be a vigil for Trans Day of Awareness in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. The space will serve as a way for members of the University community to gather and honor the victims of the hate crimes perpetrated against the trans community. Visions Gospel Choir will perform.

On Wednesday, Nov. 14, activist, comedian, actor and writer D’Lo will perform at St. Louis University. Pride Alliance will provide free transportation for Washington University students who want to attend the event.

Poet Kavi Ade will perform Thursday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in McMillan Cafe.

Both Cao and Ade are persons of color. Lee emphasized the importance of representing intersectional identities in their programming.

“A lot of the transphobic hate crimes that happen in the U.S. are targeted toward black trans women specifically,” Lee said. “So, it’s really important for us to bring trans people of color to form a community and empower those voices.”