Today is the annual Transgender Day of Rememberance.
From Glaad.org:
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.
Acceptance of our community and of ourselves is the goal for many of us, but before we can get there, the fear and violence of, and towards us, must be overcome. I have been fortunate to have had relatively few unpleasant moments when I’ve been out en femme, and very rarely have I felt threatened. However, according to Forbes.com:
This year, 350 transgender people were killed, a figure that has risen since last 2023’s total of 321.
TGEU’s annual Trans Murder Monitoring project authors say this marks a “significant increase” in comparison with the previous year of violence against gender-diverse people.
Since it launched early two decades ago, the project has tracked the murders of over 5,000 transgender people.
One in four of those murdered were aged between 19 and 25. There were also 15 recorded murders of trans youth under the age of 18, representing 6% of those killed.
The annual global list is released for Transgender Day of Remembrance, held on November 20 each year. This year’s numbers reflect the period between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024.
This is a frightening trend, to see violence increasing. Although we have more positive representation in the media than before, it doesn’t correlate to safety.
I feel that the responsibility of representation has been thrust upon us. We can’t wait for the world to change, and the burden of acceptance, or at the very least, tolerance, is up to us.
And yes, I know that changing the world isn’t what we signed up for when we accepted our gender identity, but it is what it is.
This is not to say that each of us must be involved in demonstrations or very public displays of solidarity, but being there for each other is a wonderful place to begin. Glaad.org has suggestions for how we can get involved.
If you’re in the Twin Cities, Smitten Kitten is holding an event called Trans Day of Vitality tomorrow. There will be non-binary representatives and other resources at their store with the goal of celebrating and uplifting and creating a tighter community.
More information is available on their Instagram page.
Stay safe.
Love, Hannah
Hannah McKnight 
Thank you for posting this so we not only remember those who we have lost, but to remind ourselves to be cautious when going out. Although I generally feel safe when going out, I also avoid putting myself at risk such as being out late at night or being in secluded areas.. For those that date, so important to really know the company you keep and not putting yourself in a situation or place where you can’t get out of. If you don’t already carry self defense gear, pepper spray and personal stun guns are very affordable online if you choose to protect yourself. Lastly, tell a friend where you are going and who you will be with. Think safety and plan ahead. I.e. Parking, time of day, safety in numbers
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