Transgender Day of Remembrance: Grief, Hope and Solidarity
At LGBT Health and Wellbeing, we’re marking Transgender Day of Remembrance. Every year on 20th November, we come together to remember those lost to transphobic violence, and to honour their lives. It’s a day for grieving, reflecting, and standing in solidarity as a community.
In this post, you’ll learn why Transgender Day of Remembrance exists, hear a personal reflection from one of our volunteers on what this day means to them, and find ways to join vigils across Scotland to show your support.
Whether you’re part of the trans community or an ally, take a few moments with us to recognise the importance of this day, and help us make sure these lives and stories are never forgotten.
If you’re finding this time especially difficult or just need someone to talk to, please remember our helpline is here for you. You can reach us for support, understanding, and a listening ear – phone 0800 464 7000 or livechat on our website during opening hours (Tuesday/Wednesday 12-9pm and Thursday/Sunday 1-6pm).
Why Transgender Day of Remembrance Exists
It was twenty-five years ago that Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Nancy Nangeroni, and Jahaira DeAlto gathered in a cold, bleak November to memorialise murdered trans women Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett. Things are undoubtedly better in 2024 in many ways, but they are also worse too.
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is held on the 20th November (the day of Chanelle Pickett’s murder) for our community to collectively grieve and remember those we have lost to transphobic violence. In Scotland alone, recorded transphobic hate crime incidents increased by 25% from the previous year. So TDoR is also a day to help people see the real cost of transphobia, to make us face the fact that these aren’t just numbers; these were people. They were siblings, parents, children, partners, friends. TDoR is a day where trans people declare that something must change.
You can learn a lot more about the history of TDoR and the ongoing violence our community faces—especially transfeminine people of colour—on Remembering Our Dead.
Personal Reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance from our Volunteer Kit
Last year I went to my very first vigil for TDoR. I had only come out as a trans man that February. Standing in the freezing November air, there was a powerful sense of grief and anger, but also community and togetherness. Despite being one of the saddest moments of my life, I was filled with hope. We as a community will always be there for each other, even if only to honour those taken from us too soon.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew it was a candlelight vigil, that people would speak of those they had lost, that the names of our honoured dead would be read aloud—last year’s list was one of the longest that had ever been. This year’s list of names is even longer. What surprised me the most was the feelings that being there brought up.
We were all there to grieve, of course, but I also felt a powerful rage. Every single death—every single person—is avoidable. These were people, not just deaths. They were beloved members of our community, even, or rather, especially, those who remain nameless, the strangers we will never have the chance to know. Every one of these deaths are avoidable. Transphobia kills.
Transgender Day of Remembrance is a difficult but important day for all trans people. It is the day we honour our beloved dead. It is the day we fight for their legacy, for those we have come together with, and for ourselves.
Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigils across Scotland
If you are looking for spaces to come together with other people to grieve, vigils are held across Scotland and online. Here is a list of a few you might want to join:
- The University of Dundee is hosting a vigil, doors open at 5:30pm in the Global Room. This is open to non-students.
- Both the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are hosting vigils open to non-students. Please get in touch with their LGBT+ groups for more information.
- The Scottish Trade Unions Congress is hosting a vigil for trade union members.
- Trans Pride Scotland are hosting an online vigil on Zoom at 7:30pm.