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The parents of slain transgender woman Deoni JaParker Jones are collaborating with the D.C. Office of Cable Television Director Eric Richardson in developing public service announcements about discrimination and violence targeting the transgender community.

Richardson told the Blade the OCT was in the “pre-production stage of what we hope will be a half-hour program” with a talk show type format that would be broadcast over the District of Columbia Network (DCN), which was formerly known as the city’s Channel 16 cable station.

Alvin Bethea has said in a series of emails to local community activists that he and his wife, Judean Jones, envision the public service announcements or short programs to include appearances by parents talking about their experiences in losing their transgender children through violence. He has said the aim is to help change the hearts and minds of viewers through first-hand accounts by parents who tell of their love and acceptance of their transgender children and their support of efforts by the LGBT community to end discrimination and anti-trans violence.

“Mr. Bethea introduced himself to me at a recent D.C. Council hearing and I thought it would be ideal to have him in the production,” Richardson said in an email to the Blade. He said the producer of the program was expected in the process of interviewing the participants in the program and an update on the status of the production would be announced soon.