A mother’s tribute to her trans child becomes a plea for a kinder Pennsylvania

“Auggie wanted to make changes in the world,” Amy Santiago said Tuesday, standing in the East Wing rotunda of the Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “He made people feel like they belonged. He built people up, always. He’s such a special person.”

Santiago is the mother of Auggie Santiago, a junior at Troy Area High School who’d been struggling with mental health issues during their gender transition, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Auggie died by suicide on October 16, just two months before they were scheduled to start therapy, which the family had struggled to find in their area of Bradford County.

“Auggie was also just beginning to come out as a trans person,” Santiago added. “Online, he had a community of friends and supporters who knew her as Cass. Thank you for loving her. We didn’t get to know her yet.”

Santiago spoke at a vigil Tuesday at the Capitol honoring 55 transgender people whose deaths from violence or suicide were documented over the last year in the United States. Four of them, including Auggie, were from Pennsylvania.

Related: Pennsylvania lawmakers advance LGBTQ+ protections despite GOP objections

Amy Santiago, a mother of transgender child who recently died by suicide, speaks at the Harrisburg vigil on Tuesday.courtesy WGAL-8 News

The vigil comes just ahead of Transgender Awareness Week, observed Nov. 13-19, followed by Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 by activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman who was murdered in Massachusetts in 1998. Transgender Awareness Week was later added to help raise visibility of trans people and their accomplishments in the week leading up to the remembrance.

The actual number of trans people nationwide who’ve died from violence or suicide is likely much higher, said Ashleigh Strange, executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. Strange also described the global figure of 297 deaths as a likely undercount.

Related: Mother of slain transgender teen Pauly Likens urges expansion of Pennsylvania hate-crimes law

“The numbers tell the story of a population in crisis, particularly for trans people of color who are targeted more often,” Strange said at the vigil. “As a trans and nonbinary person, I am always sad to be a part of these events, but I’m proud to be a part of this community.”

Several state lawmakers attended, including Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, Dan Frankel, Tim Briggs and Jessica Benham. Smith-Wade-El and Benham are also co-chairs of the Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. The lawmakers vowed to strengthen anti-discrimination protections for the state’s trans and nonbinary residents, noting the urgency of protecting trans youth.

Related: This small Pennsylvania town just elected the state's first-ever out transgender mayor

“It became clear that there are some things that we simply cannot afford to hand off, and that we must take responsibility for as legislators ourselves,” said Smith-Wade-El, recalling how six young transgender people died in Lancaster County during his first year as a lawmaker. “We are here because we are committed to making sure that Pennsylvania as a commonwealth — a place that we call home — is safe, dignified, compassionate and free for all of its residents, particularly for our trans young people.”

Pennsylvania’s Democratic-led House passed the Fairness Act in the last two legislative sessions. The bill would update the state’s Human Relations Act to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Passing the Fairness Act will be a top priority when the new session begins with Democrats holding majorities in both the state House and Senate, said Beth Rementer, a spokesperson for House Democrats. Savannah Thorpe Capizzi, a spokesperson for Senate Democrats, also said the bill would be prioritized in the upper chamber.

“As a parent and as a person, I tried to be supportive, but that wasn’t enough. I’m not sure what would have been enough,” Santiago said at the vigil. “I do know that we as people — everybody — we need community, we need support, we need freedom, we need kindness, and we need love.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.