Say their Names: Honouring Transgender Day of Remembrance

by Ela B

Highlighting the lives lost from anti-transgender bigotry and violence

“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, Transgender Day of Remembrance Founder

November 20, 2021, marks the 22^nd Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), a time to reflect on the lives lost from anti-transgender violence over the past 12 months. Gwendolyn Ann Smith introduced TDoR in 1999 as a visual way to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a black transgender woman murdered two days before her 35^th birthday in 1998.

Trans communities in San Francisco and Boston held vigils proclaiming that Hester’s death would not be in vain. Sadly, her death represents just one of the hundreds of murders against transgender women of color. In 2017, 61% of hate violence related homicides of LGBTQ and people living with HIV were transgender women of color.

Trans activists describe TDoR as a day to honor the lives, not just deaths, of trans people across the world while placing trans BIPOC at the center. TDoR fosters community, advocacy, and a message of living your truth while publicly mourning the loss of our trans siblings.

Ways to Mark Transgender Day of Remembrance

TDoR might look a little different this year due to the health and safety concerns with COVID-19. In addition to the tradition of hosting and attending vigils, consider these other socially distanced ways to honor TDoR:

Spread Awareness. Check out these social media resources from Transgender Europe to educate your friends, family, and followers. Challenge anti-trans violence by highlighting resources, sharing stories, and working for trans rights while using the hashtag #TDoR2021.
Support efforts benefiting transgender communities by giving to organizations that center BIPOC, sex workers, immigrants, veterans, youth, and elderly people. Refer to curated lists like 32 Black-led Queer and Trans Organizations, 20 Black Trans-led Organizations, and 10 Trans Advocacy Organizations.
Have time and skills to share with the community? Many of the organizations listed at the end of this blog need volunteers for event planning, legal, policy, fundraising, and social media efforts.
Share your Story. TDoR is not about numbers; it’s about people. Amplify your story by sharing it with GLAAD or another organization with a strong media presence.
Never stop resisting. Speak up for legal protections, work with your elected officials, run for office, or organize a protest.

Say their Names, Read their Stories, and Remember Them

Since last year’s TDoR, 60 lives in the US and one in Canada have been lost due to anti-transgender violence. These numbers vastly underrepresent the violence traced to heteropatriarchy, classism, racism, neocolonialism, and ableism on the trans community this year. Consider the murders of trans folks misgendered by their families and the media, the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities, suicides from bullying and estrangement, death from the inaccessibility of healthcare, and more.

In addition to saying their names, honor the memories and identities of victims by sharing something about their lives rather than citing the means of death. Use this list to get started on your research.

The names of our transgender brothers, sisters, and siblings lost to hate violence since this time last year include:

Felycya Harris

Brooklyn DeShauna Smith

Sara Blackwood

Angel Haynes 'Angel Unique'

Skylar Heath

Fendi Mon'ezah Armstrong 'Peaches'

Yunieski Carey Herrera 'Yuni'

Asia Jynaé Foster

Kimberly Susan Fial

Jaheim Pugh Jaheim Barbie

Courtney 'Eshay' Key

Alexandria Winchester

Tyianna 'Davarea' Alexander

Bianca Bankz 'Muﬃn'

Dominique Jackson

Fiiy Bandz

Alexus/Kimmy Icon Braxton

Chyna Carrillo

Jasmine Bright 'Jazzy'

Jeﬀrey Bright 'JJ'

Jenna Franks

Diamond Kyree Sanders/Diamond Nicole

Rayanna Pardo

Krys Brandon Ruiz

Jaida Peterson

Dominique Lucious

Remy Fennell

Tiara Banks

Iris Santos

Natalia Smüt Lopez

Tiﬀany Thomas

Keri Washington 'Bobo'

Thomas Hardin

Jahaira DeAlto Balenciaga

Whispering Wind Bear Spirit

Danika 'Danny' Henson

Sophie Vásquez

Serenity Hollis

Oliver Taylor 'Ollie'

Poe Black/Oliver Jackson 'Legion' 'Tommi'

KC Wilson

Tierramarie Lewis

Novaa Ru Watson/EJ Boykin

Aidelen Evans

Rubi Dominguez

Taya Ashton

Shai Vanderpump

CoCo Chanel Wortham

Pooh Johnson 'Titanizer'

Zoella Rose Martnez 'Zoey'

Disaya Monaee Smith

Brianna Ulmer/Hamilton

Kiér Laprí Karter

Mel Groves

Royal Poetical Starz

Jo Acker

Jessi Hart

Rikkey Outumuro 'Tru Starlet'

Marquiisha Lawrence

Jenny De Leon

Unknown (Canadian)

Resources for Advocacy, Information, Mutual Aid, and Survivors

Today, we follow in footsteps of trans activists like Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Sylvia Rivera, Lee Brewster, and Cece McDonald who trailblazed the way for racial justice, immigrant rights, prison abolition, disability justice, indigenous organizing, and more. The research, policies, and social services of today date back to the foundations laid by trans and gender-nonconforming activists and scholars throughout history.

Keep reading below for additional information and resources on trans rights, anti-trans violence, and opportunities to get involved:

Canada

Online Resources, PFLAG Canada

Programs, The519

Support, Toronto PFLAG

Friends of Ruby, Friends of Ruby

Programs, Black Queer Youth Collective

Calls to Advocacy, Queer Black Network

2spirits Resources, 2 Spirits

About, Six Nations Pride

Transgender Awareness Week, Government of Canada

Key Transgender Support Resources, Canadian AIDS Society