Many students were seen in the hallways wearing pastel blue and pink paper flowers on Thursday Nov. 20. To an observer, these flowers may have looked liked decorations, but the meaning was much deeper than that. Naperville Central’s Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) – as well as other students – participated in the “Transgender Day of Remembrance” and wore these flowers to show support for those who are transgender.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, transgender is “a term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth.”

“Transgender Day of Remembrance” is held in November to remember and honor Rita Hester, who was murdered for being transgender on Nov. 28, 1998, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Since then, many more cases of anti-transgender violence has occurred and this day has become one of remembrance of the people who died for being themselves due to transgender discrimination.

“I like to look at it, as a day to recognize all [of] the struggles[…] that people, who have the feeling that they are kind of trapped in a body that they don’t identify with, [have faced],” art teacher Danielle Figueroa, sponsor of GSA,  said. “I think it is important to just take a moment and think about the struggles that they may go through on a daily basis.”

Some GSA members thought that many people did not seem to know exactly what the flowers were representing.

“Although I was thrilled to see so many people come to pick up flowers and show support for the transgender community, there was a large atmosphere of ignorance for the people wearing them, having no idea what they were even for,” senior Chris Schnecke said.

Even though many were misinformed or didn’t know what the flowers meant, people were in support of LGBTQA (lesbian, gay transgender, questioning and allied) rights as a whole.

Along with the day of remembrance, GSA also participates in “The Day of Silence” in April.

The Gay/Straight Alliance club helps many students to be able to open up about struggles they face at school.

“It’s kind of nice to see how other people’s lives are and how they change with the club and how people start to open up to the group,”  junior Sam Barry said.

It is also seen as a place where students can be themselves.

“GSA offers me a safe place for me to talk about my sexuality and offers a space where I can be myself,” Schnecke said.