Trendpills
More than 400 transgender pride flags planted on Boston Common as part of a memorial have been removed without authorization, prompting LGBTQ+ advocates to call for a hate crime investigation. The flags were placed near the Parkman Bandstand to honor the lives of transgender and gender-nonconforming people lost to violence over the past year.
The display was intended for Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual observance on November 20. The day was founded in 1999 to honor Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman murdered in Allston, Massachusetts, the previous year, making the incident in Boston particularly poignant. Community members discovered the flags missing on the morning of November 20, finding that the entire memorial had been cleared overnight.
Advocacy groups immediately condemned the removal. Organizers, who had received a permit for the display, expressed shock and hurt at the violation of a memorial space. In response, advocates and local officials are demanding a thorough investigation, urging law enforcement to consider the act a targeted hate crime. The Massachusetts State Police have reportedly taken charge of the investigation, as Boston Common falls under state jurisdiction.
The incident occurs in a city that prides itself on being a haven for the LGBTQ+ community. According to city data, Boston has one of the largest LGBTQIA2S+ populations in the United States and has taken steps to formalize its support, including creating related oversight commissions. However, the removal of the flags has left many feeling vulnerable and targeted.
Public officials have joined community leaders in denouncing the act, with many describing it as an attack on the entire transgender community. As the investigation proceeds, advocacy groups are demanding legal accountability and a strong response from officials to reaffirm that such actions will not be tolerated. The community plans to organize and demonstrate its resilience in the face of the incident.
