To honour international Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, Squamish RCMP is reminding locals that if they are victims of violence, or need support, they can feel safe reaching out to local police.
Local officers are also calling on Squamish citizens to join them in lighting a candle in honour of the day.
The global day of remembrance is meant to recognize the hundreds of people who are transgendered who are murdered each year worldwide.
It was started as a vigil for Rita Hester in 1999.
Hester was a Black trans woman who was murdered in 1998 in Boston, Mass.
In Canada, an estimated 75,000 Canadians aged 15 and older identify as transgender, according to Stats Canada.
A national 2011 study, which surveyed 3,700 LGBTQ students, found 74 per cent of trans students in Canada faced verbal harassment and 37 per cent have faced physical harassment.
Today, the Squamish RCMP lit a candle of remembrance.
"The Squamish RCMP is strongly opposed to anti-transgendered violence and have and will continue to take these investigations very seriously," a news release states.
Contact Squamish RCMP at 604-892-6100.
