Memorial sought for transgender Filipina woman slain in New Westminster in 2012!

SURREY,

BRITISH COLUMBIA

: Social worker Alex Sangha, on behalf of the Sher Vancouver Board of Directors has written to the Mayor and City Council of New Westminster to establish a memorial for the late January Marie Lapuz.

January was the social coordinator of Sher Vancouver and the first transgender person to hold an Executive position within the organization. January was brutally murdered in September of 2012. Sher Vancouver is a social, cultural, and support non-profit society for

LGBTQ

South Asians and their friends and families. Everyone is welcome in Sher.

Sher Vancouver is requesting that the City of New Westminster place a plaque or another type of memorial to honour the late January Marie Lapuz near 6th Street and the 500 block of 3rd Avenue where she lived prior to her death.

“The City of New Westminster played a big part in January’s life and her legacy. The members of Sher Vancouver, as well as her friends and family would like to keep her memory and spirit alive in not only our hearts and minds, but the residents and citizens of New Westminster,” states Alex.

Already letters of support for a memorial have come in from Greg Oudman who is the Executive Director of Health Initiative for Men (HIM) which has an office in New Westminster, and Surrey social justice instructor Annie Ohana who teaches at January’s old high school.

Sher Vancouver has fundraised $1000 to contribute towards the costs associated with the memorial.

His Worship Mayor Jonathan X. Cote of New Westminster wrote to Alex and confirmed the official request from Sher Vancouver for a memorial for January Marie Lapuz has been put on an upcoming council agenda for discussion. The clerk's office confirmed it has been added to the regular agenda for September 9, 2019.

“There probably are not many memorials anywhere honouring trans women of colour. Not only can this memorial be a landmark, it can educate people that violence against trans women of colour and all women and vulnerable peoples is unacceptable in our communities and broader society,” states Alex.

My Name Was January is a multiple international award-winning short indie documentary which serves as a tribute and eulogy for January and addresses issues relevant to trans women of colour. The film has gone on to win 13 international jury awards and over 46 official selections at film festivals around the world.

The film screened at the British Museum in London, England this summer as part of the Queer Asia Film Festival. My Name Was January will also be permanently preserved in digital format as part of the National Screen Institute Canadian short film collection in Winnipeg. Furthermore, the film picked up the Best Short Documentary award at the Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia which is a Canadian Screen Awards eligible festival.

Metro Vancouver locals can watch My Name Was January next at:

- Saturday, September 21, 2019, at 1 pm at City Centre Library in Surrey
- Saturday, September 28, 2019, at 1 pm at City Centre Library in Surrey

Limited tickets are available on Event Brite. Both screenings are nearly sold out!

My Name Was January is also an official selection at the New West Film Festival for 2019, so try to catch the film there if you can!