Transgender Day of Remembrance

By | November 20, 2020

Each year, November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR).

TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. 

“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
Gwendolyn Ann Smith

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has a wealth of resources for both students and educators (and caregivers) supporting trans students. They range from pronoun guides to supporting intersectionality how-to’s; topics cover present-day white supremacy and reach all the way back to the Civil War.

Teaching Tolerance has more outstanding resources for anyone trying to connect with non-binary youth. The article “Being There for Nonbinary Youth” and corresponding toolkit are geared toward educators, but they are excellent aides for anyone interesting in allying with someone who identifies as non-binary.

A list of lives lost since the last TDOR can be found here.