Today marks the 15th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. My thoughts today are with all of the transgender community, their parents, children, and friends.
The Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, murdered on November 28th, 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe last year had a good profile of Hester and a history of the commemoration. Diego Sanchez’ piece at PFLAG is also a must-read on the day.
For a list of local observances, see transgenderdor.org. Whether you attend one or not, today is a good day to reflect on what we each can do to end the violence, starting with our own inclusive actions, e.g., using someone’s self-stated pronouns and speaking out when we hear anti-trans remarks.
Thank you for including my post in this piece. It is an honor to represent such a simple, but powerful tool – speaking out.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for your great post!