During the 10th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, the lives of trans men and women who have lost their battles with HIV/AIDS and those who were victims of hate crimes were commemorated across the nation, including Oakland, California, according to the Bay Area Reporter.

The event, organized by TransVision, an agency of the Tri-City Health Center in Fremont, California, included family members of those in the transgender community and representatives of several local politicians, including Congressman George Miller (D–Martinez) who recently met with transgender leaders to discuss the need to include gender identity in the national Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

“The elephant in the room is death,” said Tiffany Woods, TransVision coordinator. “And it’s okay—we’re here to celebrate lives and memorialize them. I look at it more as a somber wake-up call; if one more name is read off next year, it’s one too many.”