Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 to memorialize those whose lives were lost in the past year as a result of anti-transgender violence and persecution.
The week preceding TDOR, our community participates in Transgender Awareness Week to highlight trans joy and excellence, and the ongoing issues we face, such as safety, access to care and housing, safe travel, schools, and more.
Get involved
Check your local calendars for events and memorials, and make a plan to join one of the TRACTION-sponsored TDOR events (offered virtually and in person)
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- Nov 13 – Roundtable Meeting Talanoa: Empowering Voices, Shaping Policies for Gender-Affirming Care and Safety for all Trans Lives.
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- Nov 16 – Concert by Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) Live
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- Nov 20 – Concert by Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) Live and Livestreaming
History of Transgender Day of Remembrance
Gwendolyn Ann Smith started Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) in 1999 as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998. Smith designed the vigil to commemorate all known trans people lost to violence since Rita’s death. This practice of honoring all those lost in the previous year because of violence continues today with the reading of names at annual TDOR events across the country.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith
We have always existed and always will exist. Let our joy and excellence be embraced as we resist the forces against us and deepen our resolve toward liberation.
