San Jose City College has held many events to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community on campus, including the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, which started in 1999 in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who lost her life.

During this event, SJCC honored the 36 deaths that occurred in the transgender community in the past year in the U.S. and shared news on how to support the LGBTQ community on campus better.

“As of today, we are looking into building our very first neutral gender bathroom with about eight stalls. We want to make sure that we are inclusive to the whole community,” program coordinator Juan Garcia said.

SJCC’s library technician and transgender woman, Taylor Montiel, is an advocate for the LGBTQ community on campus.

“I have experienced a lot of discrimination over the years. It’s been tough, but regardless of all the obstacles that I have been facing, I decided that I had to fight for who I am. … I decided that I don’t care what other people think. I am who I am and I’m going to fight for my rights,” Montiel said.

SJCC celebrated Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor every transgender person who has been murdered and to not only connect with SJCC students but with the city as well.