Honoring Transgender Life and Death

Throughout the month of November, transgender and gender nonconforming lives are honored and validated all over the world for the purpose of raising awareness about the unique issues that impact these communities and to celebrate the strength, resilience and positive impact this community has made worldwide.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

On November 20, 1999, Gwendolyn Ann Smith found herself devastated over the recent murder of her young Black trans-sister Rita Hester. She was tired of feeling helplessness and hopeless each time she heard about a transwoman being killed and doubly tired of the silence that echoed throughout society after each murder. In that moment of despair Gwendolyn chose hope and decided to use the online platform she had created through her Remember Our Dead project to launch the first Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) to honor the lives fallen victim to the hands of transphobia and societal invisibility. Every year since, people all over world have continued Gwendolyn’s tradition of honoring all the transgender and gender nonconforming lives that have been murdered that year. November 20^th, 2019 marks the 20^th anniversary of TDOR (also known as International Transgender Day of Remembrance) and so far in the United States, 23 transwomen have been murdered, with 20 being Black transwomen.

What can you do?

"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 (glaad.org)

Learn about the issues, struggles, transphobia and violence that takes the lives of so many yearly.

Here is a list of organizations and resources:

Participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance actions/vigils that take place at LGBTQ+ community centers, parks, places of worship and a variety of other venues. On November 20^th, the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach will be joining over 100 cities worldwide in honoring the lives lost at a memorial at Harvey Milk Promenade Park at 6:30 p.m. (252 East 3^rd Street Long Beach). For more information contact The Center at 562.434.4455 or visit www.centerlb.org.

Author

Alejandra Luna LCSW, Mental Health Therapist/LGBTQ+ Specialist

You Might Also Enjoy...

Negative self-thoughts are the kryptonite to personal goals and dreams

Studies have shown that people who practice negative self-talk (thoughts) often deal with high levels of stress, which has been directly linked to anxiety and/or depression. When one uses internal negative mantras to help one make decisions.

Unequal Justice, Gay and Transgender Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Gay, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth are significantly over-represented in the juvenile justice system—approximately 300,000 gay and transgender youth are arrested and/or detained each year, of which more than 60 percent are black or Latino.

We Got To Plan To Fail

As a new decade quickly approaches it is imperative that we seize the day and take grasp of the power we possess within to create the positive choices that will ignite self-growth.

Co-dependent Relationship, HIV and Substance Use Disorder

HIV/Aids Awareness Month commences every year with World Aids Day, on December 1st, when people around the globe converge to fight against HIV/AIDS. Many people living with HIV/AIDS have more than this disease in common, but also the way it was transmitted

Why they clock me?

Research has shown that LGBTQ+ people have higher rates of substance use and mental health concerns compared to heterosexuals.

In the Silence (of Covid-19)

Is this covid-19 new normal a temporary life reboot? Or will it become a long-term trauma reflex that creates PTSD in ones social conscience reinforcing the need to continue social distancing to ensure “life”?