Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
How can I get involved in the Transgender Day of Remembrance?
Participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance by attending and/or organizing a vigil on November 20 to honor all those transgender people whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence that year, and learning about the violence affecting the transgender community. Vigils are typically hosted by local transgender advocates or LGBTQ organizations, and held at community centers, parks, places of worship, and other venues. The vigil often involves reading a list of the names of those lost that year.
Please see resources below on how to write stories about transgender people who have been victimized by crime, and additional resources for writing about the violence that affects transgender people, especially transgender women of color.
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
As always, be safe.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 