BRADFORD Council and partners will mark Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance by lighting up the city centre blue and pink this weekend.

To commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is on Saturday, 20 November, the transgender flag will also be raised in Centenary Square and lowered to half-mast, as a mark of respect to the transgender people who have lost their lives over the last year.

As night falls, the lights on Bradford’s City Hall, Margaret McMillan Tower and the Forster Square arches will be lit up in blue and pink, which are the colours of the transgender flag.

The event starts at 10am on Saturday, and all are welcome.

Transgender Awareness Week, which runs from 13 to 19 November, is a time to show support for all people who are transgender. It is a week when transgender people and their allies take action and work to educate the public about who transgender people are, sharing their stories and experiences, and considering the issues of prejudice, discrimination and violence which affect the transgender community.

Transgender Day of Remembrance, on 20 November, is an annual day to honour the memory of the transgender people who lost their lives in acts of anti-transgender violence.

According to the latest reports, 2021 is set to be the deadliest year for trans and gender-diverse people since records began, with 375 registered murders worldwide between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021 across the world.

This represents a 7 per cent increase from the 2020 update, which was already a 6 per cent increase from 2019.

Councillor Richard Dunbar, Bradford Council’s LGBTQ+ Champion, said: “With the latest reports showing that 2021 has been the deadliest year on record for trans and gender-diverse people, it has never been more important to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“Violence against the trans community is something which is increasing worldwide, year-on-year, and it is vital that we all come together to acknowledge this and make commitments towards reversing this appalling and untenable trend.

“As a council, we proactively support the trans community, whether this be through making our leisure services more accessible, setting up a new staff network or implementing a new organisation trans inclusion policy.

“Bradford Council stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the trans community. As a society we need to stand in solidarity, we need to challenge transphobia and, importantly, we need to listen and ensure the trans community are at the centre of decisions that affect their lives.”

Kersten England, chief executive of Bradford Council, said: “We want everyone in our district to be valued for who they are, so promoting inclusion, equalities and diversity and eliminating discrimination have to be at the forefront of all that we do.

“Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance are important ways of supporting our transgender community and raising awareness and our understanding of the issues that they face every day.

“Bradford Council supports transgender staff with a Trans Equality and Gender Identity Policy, which seeks to support transgender colleagues in their working life at the council, and provides advice to all managers and staff around how to support a colleague who is transgender.”

Dr Jack Lopez, Associate Dean Equality Diversity and Inclusion at University of Bradford, said: “Transgender Awareness Week is an opportunity for everyone to learn more about trans and non-binary people, and allyship.

“There are many resources available throughout the week and it is the perfect opportunity to self-educate on members of our society who are just everyday humans like anyone else.

“It is also time to check in with your trans and non-binary friends and colleagues, because the part of the week significant for us is Saturday, 20 November - Transgender Day of Remembrance - where we take time to reflect on the global rate of murders for trans people and sit with the feelings that brings.

“It is a stark reminder that #TransRightsAreHumanRights, and that no one deserves to lose their life just because of who they are or what they look like.”