Today marks the 16th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. My thoughts today are with all of the transgender community, their parents, children, and friends.
The Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, murdered on November 28th, 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts. Transgriot has a good profile of Hester and her legacy. Morgan Collado’s piece at Autostraddle, “Remembering Us When We’re Gone, Ignoring Us While We’re Here: Trans Women Deserve More,” is also a must-read. If nothing else, though, view the list of the transgender people murdered in 2014, and realize how much more work we all have to do to spread understanding and acceptance. Realize how much race and class play into society’s views of trans women of color, who make up the majority of the victims, and how racial and economic justice must go hand in hand with LGBTQ equality.
For a list of local observances, see tdor.info. Whether you attend one or not, today is a good day to reflect on what we each can do to end the violence, starting with our own inclusive actions, e.g., using someone’s self-stated pronouns, speaking out when we hear anti-trans remarks, and educating our children about what it means to be transgender.