2021, an increase of 7% from 2020 which reported a total of 350 murders. According to GLAAD, November 20 was chosen by Smith for the first vigil almost one year after Hester’s death.Īccording to international organization Transrespect, at least 375 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered between Oct. Recognized annually on November 20, TDOR has become a global day to recognize and memorialize Hester and other trans people throughout the world who have been victims of violence. She was rushed to the hospital but died of cardiac arrest moments after being admitted. Hester was found in her apartment by a neighbor after being stabbed 20 times by an unknown assailant. According to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, Hester was an advocate and educator for the trans community in Boston. Trans Day of Remembrance, or TDOR, started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998. “It is important to remember all those lives that have ended too early for just being who they were.” If you would like to find an event to attend and memorialize our communities, PFLAG ( ) and Eventbrite ( ) are among the many organizations providing opportunities online.“For me, Trans Day of Remembrance is a time to remember those our community has lost but in a way that they are honored,” said Niko Stone, vice chair of Out Boulder County’s Trans Steering and Events committee and the coordinator for the Boulder County Gender Support Group. Virtual vigils are being held in the United States and globally.Jahaira was murdered in her home in May this year. She was a trans advocate, active against sexual and intimate partner violence, and a fixture in the Boston ballroom community. Jahaira Dealto Balenciaga delivered the keynote address while being recognized at the Massachusetts Victim Assistance Conference in 2019.Memorializing those we’ve lost is a solemn, painful, and deeply personal reminder of our communities’ vulnerability. The violence and threat of violence we recognize at this event are very present and real in our lives. Be mindful of the transgender people in your workplace and communities. This might include supporting the Prison Rape Elimination Act working to include transgender, nonbinary, and other genderqueer people in anti-violence programs and protections and explicitly including transgender lives and experience in our prevention education. In the United States, Black transgender women are horrifyingly overrepresented as victims of these hate crimes.Īs we remember and honor trans communities on TDOR, it is important to pair our memorial activities with action that addresses the root causes of violence and protects those who are made most vulnerable. As with communities of color and other groups who experience multiple layers of marginalization, physical violence against transgender, nonbinary, and other gender bending people is accompanied by higher rates of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and state violence. This observance began in 1999 in Massachusetts and has grown internationally as a date of recognition and mourning. Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is observed on November 20 and memorializes those whom our communities have lost to anti-trans violence.
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