At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, students and local residents gathered outside UVM’s Howe Library to honor the memory of Lia Smith, 21, a senior at Middlebury College who died on Oct. 18.
As temperatures dipped below freezing, attendees cupped tealight candles in their hands, passing flames to each other when the wind extinguished them.
Over 20 people were in attendance. Most who spoke said that they did not know Smith personally, but were impacted by her story.
The event was led by Dexia Martin, a local community organizer, and junior Mina, who declined to give her last name. The two shared that they wanted to honor Smith and create a space for those who saw themselves in her story to be supported by their community.
“We don’t want people to just forget about this and move on,” Mina said.
Originally from Berkeley, California, Smith was pursuing a double major in computer science and statistics. She was also a former diver on Middlebury’s women’s swimming and diving team, and member of the college’s LGBTQ+, Bridge, Chess and Japanese Clubs, according to a memorial webpage created by her family and friends.
Smith, a trans woman, was recruited by Middlebury as a competitive NCAA diver, but later stepped away from the sport.
After a Feb. 5 executive order banning trans women from participating in women’s athletics, Smith spoke about her experience in a panel at Middlebury, noting that while her coaches and teammates were supportive, anti-trans rhetoric and policies took a toll on her, according to a Feb. 27 article from the Addison Independent.
Even after leaving the team, Smith also faced transmisogynistic online harassment over her participation in women’s athletics.
“I didn’t know Lia … but I definitely saw myself in the headline,” Martin said. “I’m very sorry that she had to go through whatever she was going through, and I’m sorry that the world is not the way it needed to be for her.”
Many trans attendees spoke of feeling isolated, particularly in the wake of President Trump’s policies targeting transgender Americans. Speakers emphasized the importance of building supportive communities.
“I just want us trans women to remember we have a community here,” Mina said. “That we have people supporting us. That we’re not alone, even if there’s a lot of scary things out there, even in this supposedly safe place.”
First-year Skye Bivens said she attended the event to mourn alongside members of UVM’s trans community.
“None of us are alone,” Bivens said. “That’s the most lifesaving healthcare we can have.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, on-campus resources are available. Contact Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS) online or at (802) 656-3340 to connect with professional support. UVM’s Prism Center provides additional counseling and resources to LGBTQ+ students and is located on the first floor of Living and Learning Building C.
