Friday night hundreds marched in Cleveland, a place known for its diversity, to honor the lives of two transgender women killed in the city this year.
Margie's Hope, a transgender support organization, organized the candlelit vigil for Skye Mockabee and Brandi Bledsoe, the two transgender Clevelanders who were slain.
The organizers of the Transgender Day of Remembrance called on members and supporters of the LGBTQ community around Northeast Ohio to gather and help raise awareness for "anti-transgender hate crimes."
RELATED: Police investigate death of transgender woman
Jacob Nash, board president of Margie's Hope, a transgender support group in Cleveland, said attendance was marked around 225 people, based on the number of seats they filled at City Hall.
"It made people stop and think," Nash said. "They were reading about the people and seeing their pictures."
Nash said there have been 24 transgender people murdered in the U.S. in 2016, and an estimated 295 additional deaths across the world.
"Of course, it was pretty somber," Nash said. "We can't forget, we have to keep fighting."
Margie's Hope was founded in 2011. Nash said the group provides assistance to transgender people seeking to find housing, health resources, employment and community. Several other area LGBTQ groups are credited with helping organize the event, according to a press release.
"The emphasis is continuing to educate," Nash said. "Our worth and dignity needs to be appreciated just like everybody elses."
