Friday, November 20 The Transgender Day of Remembrance

Friday, November 20 The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), has taken place on November 20 as a day to remember and honour the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Every year on 20th November, we remember and honour the lives of trans and gender-diverse people. It is a day to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender woman, to memorialize the murder of transgender woman Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts.

In 2010, TDoR was observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries.

While TDoR is a critical event, most people are committed to highlighting the importance of seeing transphobic violence as inherently connected to race, gender, and class. This is reflected in the unfair instances such as violence against trans women of colour in general. 

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, GLAAD remembers the transgender people whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence this year and over the years.

Information for media:

• GLAAD’s Resource Kit for Journalists Covering TDOR
• GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide
• GLAAD’s Doubly Victimized: Reporting on Transgender Victims of Crime
• GLAAD’s More Than a Number – Shifting the Media Narrative on Transgender Homicides
• Mic’s Unerased: Counting Transgender Lives

Organizations and resources:

• Anti-Violence Project
• International Transgender Day of Remembrance
• National Center for Transgender Equality
• Sylvia Rivera Law Project
• Trans Women of Color Collective
• Transgender Europe’s Trans Murder Monitoring Project
• Transgender Law Center
• TransJustice at the Audre Lorde Project

Reports on violence and discrimination:

• Human Rights Campaign’s Violence Against the Transgender Community
• National Center for Transgender Equality’s Discrimination Survey

More information:

• Learn more about transgender people on GLAAD’s resource page
• Learn about Transgender Awareness Week