The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off a “Remembering Our Dead” movement and the first TDoR vigil in 1999. This year is the 20th anniversary of Rita Hester’s death, one whose murder case, like most anti-transgender murder cases, has still yet to be solved.
This is a day we like to gather as a community and invite others to mourn and raise awareness together. We recognize that anti-transgender violence is intersectional, and the violence faced by transgender women, particularly transwomen of color, and even more precisely black transwomen, is disproportionate. Those involved in sex work are disproportionately affected as well.
We start the evening with a vigil, which we acknowledge can be a heavy and/or triggering experience as the names of those we remember from this year (and the way that they were killed) is read out by each attendee. If you would rather just attend the film, it will start at about 7:30pm and there is seating outside of the sanctuary that we can collect you from if you choose to step outside during that portion.
The film is "Trans Youth," which focuses on the lives of five young transgender folks in Austin, TX.
Open to all- appropriate for high school aged folks and above.
