The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was founded in 1998 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith—a transgender graphic designer, columnist, and activist—to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. What initially began as a web-based project has since burgeoned into an international day of action; in 2014, TDORs were observed in over 200 cities around the world.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance occurs annually on November 20th to honor those whose lives have been lost to anti-trans violence. The overarching goal is to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community with the hope that together we can end such violence and intolerance. It is a sad day that allows us to stand up collectively in opposition to anti-transgender hatred and prejudice.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives.
Please join us on the evening of November 20th at 7:00 PM (PST) for our annual Transgender Day of Remembrance service in memorializing the memory of our fallen trans siblings.
Due to the ongoing pandemic this event will be held virtually so please share with your friends and family. Look forward to members of our community as they share their talents and testimonies throughout our program. Let us all join in heart and spirit. We hope to see you all there.
*ASL Interpreting available
