Mauricio Pena

The Desert Sun

A life-size statue dedicated to victims of violence against transgender people has been commissioned for the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Palm Springs.

The Transgender Community Coalition has hired Heath Satow, a Los Angeles-based artist, to create the tribute for the annual vigil remembering community members killed across the country every year.

Thomi Clinton, activist and coalition director, said the statue is intended to raise awareness around violence and discrimination the community encounters.

“Trans people have a history of being oppressed and hurt,” Clinton said. “The statue represents the struggles, the hardships, and the victimization the trans community faces.”

The original iteration of the transgender sculpture illustrates a life-size figure, made of steel butterflies, lying on its side. Where exactly the statue will find a permanent home in Palm Springs is still to be determined.

In 2014, Clinton came up with the idea for the sculpture after a transgender woman, Yaz’min Shancez, was shot then burned behind a garbage bin in Florida. Shancez’s body left a silhouette where her remains were discovered.

Clinton approached Satow about the project based on a friend's recommendation. Satow agreed to create the statue.

He is recognized for his 9/11 memorial Reflect, a piece commissioned by the city of Rosemead. The 7-feet tall, 10-feet wide sculpture is that of two giant hands made up of nearly 3,000 stainless-steel doves lifting a steel beam from the World Trade Center.

Satow hopes the transgender statue will generate greater tolerance and awareness of the hardship faced by the community.

“I’m all about the underdog,” Satow said. “This is a memorial for people who are often looked down upon by society. It’s an issue we have to discuss.”

The sculptor said he'll begin work on the public art piece later this year, and he expects to have the sculpture completed for this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20.

Last year, the commemoration at Ruth Hardy Park brought together more than 150 transgender people and their supporters.The names of 25 murder victims and more than 20 who committed suicide were read and projected on a screen.

Palm Springs honors Transgender Day of Remembrance

The $10,000 project is being financed with donations and money raised by events including bingo nights.

Clinton said the statue, which the organization is donating to Palm Springs, was originally planned for Ruth Hardy Park, the site of the annual vigil, but the city and the Palm Springs Public Art Commission have yet to determine the final location for the sculpture.

Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon said the artwork belongs in a prominent place.

He hopes to see the statue housed at the city’s new outdoor event space, a 50,000 square-foot public park being developed in downtown Palm Springs.

“The statue is important, what it represents is important,” Moon said. “It deserves a special place.”

For Clinton, the project is a step toward greater visibility, one that will highlight the need for acceptance of the transgender community.

“No one should be overlooked or forgotten,” Clinton said. “This statue is a reminder of that. People have a right to exist and be free of violence, I think it’s time we recognize that.”

Bio box

WHO: Heath Satow, 46, a Los Angeles-based artist raised in Ohio and North Carolina. Satow attended North Carolina State University’s School of Design.

WHAT: Satow has been commissioned by the Transgender Community Coalition to create a life-size sculpture in Palm Springs.

PAST PROJECTS: In 2012, Satow’s Ripple sculpture in Los Angeles received an award from the Americans for the Arts’ Public Arts Network Award. In 2014, Palm Desert purchased Satow's piece Duality, the statue originally on display during the El Paseo Invitation Exhibition.