Today marks the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a time to honor the lives of those who died because of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. I wish all of my transgender friends and readers love and support on this day of mourning.
Content warning for transphobic violence.
Here is the worldwide memorial list for this year, compiled by Transgender Europe as part of its Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) project. It is far too long, though even one name would be too many. It is also likely an undercount, as many deaths are unreported or reported under a name that hides and denies the person’s trans identity. The list, as always, is predominantly of trans women of color.
In the United States, GLAAD lists 32 transgender people who died from anti-trans violence in 2022.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, murdered on November 28th, 1998, in Allston, Massachusetts. To learn more about the observance, I encourage you to read these two pieces by trans writers:
- “Rita’s Story,” by journalist and blogger Monica Roberts
- “This and Every TDOR: Remember Rita Hester,” by Diego Miguel Sanchez, director of advocacy, policy & partnerships at PFLAG
I will also recommend the latest issue of the TransLash Zine, which uses art, creative writing, and photography to enable trans people to tell their stories in the fight for body autonomy. Among the many creative pieces in the zine is “Womb: About Trans Motherhood,” by fei hernandez, as well as “Translash’s Trans-Affirming Guide to Roe v. Wade,” which may be of particular interest to readers here.
For those of us who are cisgender, today is a good day to reflect on what each of us must do to help end the violence, starting with our own actions, e.g., using someone’s self-stated name and pronouns, speaking out when we hear anti-trans remarks or hear of anti-trans actions in our communities, 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 and to reject legislation that demeans and ignores trans people’s gender identities and human rights. We can donate to organizations like the Transgender Law Center, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, National Center for Transgender Equality, Anti-Violence Project, and Trans Youth Equality Foundation, among others. (As always, do your own due diligence before donating to any nonprofit.)
May the lives of those lost not be forgotten. May they inspire us to continue working for justice and peace.