TDOR 2023 is on Monday, November 20th
I've never forgotten the first time I attended a Transgender Day of Remembrance observance.
We gathered on a frigid evening on the steps of a building on a local college campus, clutching candles and listening to the reading of the names of all of the vibrant, beloved transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people lost to violence and to suicide in the year before. Listening to a local trans elder share his own experiences of the violent intersection of racism and transphobia in our community opened my eyes.
A decade has gone by since that night, and each year, I've participated in the reading. Most of the observances I've been involved with were led by white transgender people, despite 4 out of every 5 deaths reported by the Human Rights Campaign being transgender women of color. These are the people who we should be centering our support around, not just by waiting for these times of mourning, but by fighting alongside them and enabling them to live and thrive.
The people we mourn were loving partners, parents, family members, friends and parts of their communities. They went to work, school and houses of worship. They were real people. They deserved better than this.
Whether you connect with local events or utilize our TDOR Guide to plan an observance as part of worship on Sunday, 11/19, we encourage you to find ways to participate in this remembrance of saints. From there, may we all take steps closer to supporting transgender lives.
Peace in this season of remembering,
Mitch
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