Transgender Day of Remembrance

This week is Transgender Awareness Week, which culminates in Thursday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR was established by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.

This Day of Remembrance is when we remember the trans and gender diverse individuals lost to violence over the past year. As the visibility of trans folx has increased and the current administration has disproportionately targeted this community, so has the violence against them. Participate in TDOR by attending or organizing a vigil on November 20 to honor all those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence this year.

It is so incredibly important that this week of awareness ends with the Day of Remembrance, because awareness and visibility without active protection of civil liberties, activism and action, leaves trans and non-binary folx more vulnerable.

I am tired of saying how each year has seen an unprecedented number of deaths of trans and gender diverse folx. Visibility and awareness are important first steps, as lack of awareness leaves much too much room for misunderstandings, bias and prejudice. And our BIPOC trans women and femmes are the ones suffering.

It is well past time to demand justice for trans and gender diverse people in life and not just honor them in death.

It is time for those of us in positions of power and privilege to use those resources to up-lift others and fight for their rights and safety.