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South Shields Town Hall will be lit in a purple hue this Sunday (20 November) to mark Transgender Day of Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

The day highlights the end of Transgender Awareness Week which seeks to raise the visibility of transgender people and address the issues they face.

The Day of Â鶹ÊÓƵ honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence the preceding year. According to Human Rights Campaign, last year marked the deadliest year recorded to date with at least 57 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed worldwide, most of them of Latinx or Black transgender women.

Councillor Ruth Berkley, Lead Member for the Voluntary Sector, Partnerships and Equalities, said: "Transgender Day of Â鶹ÊÓƵ provides us with an opportunity to reflect and stand in solidarity with the transgender community and remember those whose lives have been lost due to transphobic hate.

"By lighting up our Town Hall we can raise awareness of the stigma faced by trans and gender non-conforming people as they try to peacefully live their lives."

Discrimination based on gender identity is a hate crime. Sadly, in 2021 124,091 hate crimes were recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of nine per cent on the previous year.  Anyone who witnesses or is affected by hate crime is encouraged to report it by calling the Police on 101 or at People can also report hate crimes to the Council by calling (0191) 427 2020.