Since the murder of Rita Hester, a Black Transgender woman in November of 1998, the Transgender community has observed Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20th every year. Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender Advocate, started TDOR in honor of her friend.
Rita’s life was taken just one month after the murder of Matthew Shepard, but the discussions condemning hate crimes did not include her or the transgender community. Today, we still fail to acknowledge that transgender women of color bear the particular brunt of anti-LGBTQIA+ violence, and disproportionately live in poverty, a form of violence our society commits upon the most vulnerable. The growing violence this community faces thrives in the silence of allies.
Each year, we read the names— the true names— of our siblings, remembering them as who they were. 3 out of every 4 names were misgendered, called by the wrong name and pronouns when remembered or reported on by police, the media, and their families of origin.
It is not enough to merely acknowledge the losses, but rather we must honor the memories of our trans siblings with action. That might look like consistently shutting down anti-transgender rhetoric, partnering with LGBTQIA+ Resource Centers, or vocally opposing the myriad of hostile anti-transgender bills attempting to become law across the United States.
For up to date information about legislation, follow Erin Reed at https://www.erininthemorning.com/
To learn more about your state’s current status, visit https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps
To track legislation regarding the transgender community, visit https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights
We encourage you and your communities of faith to observe TDOR, whether it’s something you’ve done before or something brand new. Seek out existing events or opportunities to collaborate with other members of your community, through your ecumenical or interfaith partnerships, educational institutions, and local LGBTQIA+ community leaders. Acknowledge the observance during worship on Sunday, 11/23.
As we have in years before, we invite you to attend the virtual prayer vigil hosted by our friends at Transmission Ministry Collective. Join them for a short virtual prayer service live on their YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@
TransmissionMinistryCollective on Thursday, November 20th at 4 pm PT/7pm ET. They will read the names and remember the stories of those who have died from interpersonal violence, and number them among the great cloud of witnesses who encourage us toward justice.
A copy of the list of names for all the lives lost this year can be accessed from the Remembering Our Dead project. This comprehensive list is available through the ROD project contains links to media articles related to each person. Visiting the project site will give you the details of each death, and may be disturbing.