Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) began in 1999 when Gwendolyn Ann Smith started a vigil to honor Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman from Massachusetts, who was murdered in 1998. This day closes out Transgender Awareness Week and occurs during Transgender and Non-binary Empowerment Month. The purpose of this day is to mourn and remember the transgender and non-binary people who were lost in the past year.
The transgender community faces a number of struggles and dangers for simply trying to live authentically. From managing dysphoria and rediscovering one’s identity, to direct attacks on the lives of transgender people, the community has had, and continues, to fight for survival and the right to exist. This is especially true for Black and Brown transwomen and femmes, who despite often being at the frontlines of organizing and protecting the community, continue to face the highest rates of discrimination and violence within the community.
One way to honor this day is to organize or attend a Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil in your area. While it can be difficult to mourn loved ones or community members, it provides an opportunity to process and experience grief as a community. If you can’t make it to a vigil, you can take time on your own to learn about and honor the stories of transgender people who have died. It is important for people to know their names and the history of the community.
Another way to honor this day is to spend time with and check in on your transgender and non-binary loved ones. If you yourself are a part of the community, take the time to experience and process the different emotions that may come up, such as anger or fear. This can be a heavy time, so creating space for taking care of yourself in ways that work for you is important. If you are not transgender or non-binary, reach out and support your transgender and non-binary loved ones or take time to educate yourself on the transgender and non-binary community, its history, and the dangers the community faces today.
All transgender and non-binary people deserve the right to live safely and happily as themselves, and Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to remember the people who had this right taken from them.
While it is a day of mourning, it is also a day of community building and hope. Everyone has a part in uplifting and supporting the transgender community and working to protect them from all forms of harm. In the words of B Parker and Micah Bazant, “Give us our roses while we’re still here.” We must remember the past, and the transgender people who tragically lost their lives, but we must also honor the transgender people who are still here and look towards creating a future in which the community does not have to face this violence.
Here are some community resources in the Michigan area that are doing the work to fight for, protect, and celebrate the transgender and non-binary community, along with some additional resources and information about TDOR and the community.
Community Organization
- Affirmations – an LGBTQ+ community center in Ferndale
- Dolls Night Detroit – an advocacy group & event series for the Transgender and Non-binary community in Detroit
- Ruth Ellis Center – a non-profit organization for LGBTQ+ in Detroit
- Stand With Trans – a non-profit organization for supporting transgender and non-binary youth and their loved ones
Additional Resources
- https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/
- https://glaad.org/tdor/
- https://www.tgeu.org/
- https://translegislation.com/
