A description of what it is and what it means, from the International Transgender Day of Remembrance website:
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 the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.
Here’s TDOR founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith‘s new piece for the Huffington Post, Transgender Day of Remembrance: Rita Hester and Beyond.
And here is the Seattle band Your Heart Breaks playing their trans anthem “Could One Letter Save Your Life” at the Plan It X Fest in Indiana. (For a clearer experience of the lyrics, here’s the studio version.)
UPDATE FOR SEATTLE: A Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony will take place tonight at the Ravenna United Methodist Church, 5751 33rd Avenue NE, at 7 pm. All are welcome.
