Today marks the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a time to memorialize those who were killed because of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. One lost would be too many—and there are dozens.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance site reminds us, “Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender—that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant—each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.” (The TDOR site takes this language from the site originally created by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the founder of TDOR. Note that “transsexual” is generally considered an outdated term today.)
That anti-trans bias is mixed with racism to create a toxic combination. In the U.S. alone, at least 22 transgender people have been this calendar year, 82 percent of whom were women of color and 55 percent lived in the South, according to a new report from the HRC Foundation. Additionally, 64 percent were under the age of 35.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, murdered on November 28th, 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts. Transgriot has a good profile of Hester and her legacy. Morgan Collado’s 2014 piece at Autostraddle, “Remembering Us When We’re Gone, Ignoring Us While We’re Here: Trans Women Deserve More,” remains a must-read.
Whether you attend a local observance or not, today is a good day to reflect on what each of us can do to end the violence, starting with our own actions, e.g., using someone’s self-stated pronouns and name, speaking out when we hear anti-trans remarks, and educating our children, no matter what their own identities are, about what it means to be transgender or gender nonconforming. We can celebrate and support the lives of trans people and listen to their stories. We can urge lawmakers to pass trans-inclusive anti-discrimination legislation, to reject legislation that demeans and ignores trans people’s gender identities and right to public accommodation, and to uphold trans people’s right to serve in our military.
Wishing all of my trans friends love and support on this day of mourning.
May the lives of those lost not be forgotten. May they inspire us to continue the work.