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What Transgender Day of Remembrance Means to Us #TDOR ????️‍⚧️

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Today, November 20th, is Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

2021 has been one of the most violent on record.

The Human Rights Campaign released “An Epidemic of Violence: Fatal Violence Against Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in the United States in 2021” a report honoring the at least 46 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed in 2021 as of Wednesday, shining a light on data that HRC has continued to collect on the epidemic of violence.

With 46 known deaths since January 1, HRC has officially recorded more violent deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people than any year since we began tracking this violence in 2013. Previously, the highest known number of fatal deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people was in 2020, when we reported 44 people were violently killed throughout the calendar year. This year’s report’s release comes several days ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance, a moment to remember the transgender and gender non-conforming people who have been lost to fatal violence over the course of the year.

For the second year in a row, the trans community has seen a grim milestone: 2021 has become the deadliest year on record, just as 2020 was. Each and every name read and recognized on the Trans Day of Remembrance represented a full, rich life that did not deserve to be cut short. The rhetoric and stigma aimed by anti-equality political leaders and public figures at transgender and non-binary people have led to an unprecedented level of horrific violence against our transgender community. We must fight for change. We must dismantle this stigma. We must bring this epidemic of violence to an end.

Joni Madison, Interim President of the Human Rights Campaign

since the start of the year, at least 46 transgender and gender non-conforming people have been killed in the U.S. Of those 46 victims, 29 were Black and eight were Latinx. Since January 2013, HRC has documented more than 250 transgender and gender non-conforming people who were victims of fatal violence. Two-thirds of these known victims have been Black women and nearly 60% of known fatalities have involved a firearm. This fatal violence affects trans and gender non-conforming people nationwide, with HRC and advocates tracking cases of fatal violence since 2013 across 113 cities and towns in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. These disturbing numbers likely underreport deadly violence targeting transgender and gender non-confirming people, who may not be properly identified as transgender or gender non-conforming by police, media or other sources.

 

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The 46 known transgender and gender non-conforming people killed so far in 2021 are: Tyianna AlexanderSamuel Edmund Damián ValentínBianca “Muffin” BankzDominique JacksonFifty BandzAlexus BraxtonChyna Carrillo, siblings Jeffrey “JJ” Bright and Jasmine CannadyJenna FranksDiamond Kyree SandersRayanna PardoJaida PetersonDominique LuciousRemy FennellTiara BanksNatalia SmutIris SantosTiffany ThomasKeri WashingtonJahaira DeAltoWhispering Wind Bear SpiritSophie VásquezDanika “Danny” HensonSerenity HollisOliver “Ollie” TaylorThomas HardinPoe BlackEJ BoykinTaya AshtonShai VanderpumpTierramarie LewisMiss CoCoPooh JohnsonDisaya MonaeeBriana HamiltonKiér Laprí KartierMel GrovesRoyal Poetical StarzZoella “Zoey” Rose MartinezJo AckerJessi HartRikkey OutumuroMarquiisha Lawrence, and Jenny De Leon. HRC also tracks additional concerning deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

Each year, transgender and non-binary people gather together to mourn those lost and hope for a more peaceful future. On the Transgender Day of Remembrance, we must all reaffirm our commitment to fighting on every front necessary to ensure our transgender siblings’ deaths will not be forgotten. We will honor their lives and their memories with action.

Tori Cooper, Director of Community Engagement for HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative

 

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Many factors lead to this violence. Anti-transgender stigma can lead to the denial of opportunities in society, such as employment discrimination and exclusion from health care, as well as to increased risk factors such as poverty and homelessness. The combination of these factors, which are often exacerbated by racism and sexism, can lead to an increased risk of fatal violence. Learn more in HRC’s newly updated report, “Dismantling a Culture of Bias: Understanding Anti-Transgender Violence and Ending the Crisis.”

Although there are some existing legal protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people — such as the Violence Against Women Act, the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia as well as various state and local laws — we still lack explicit federal protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people and pervasive stigma makes lived equality far out of reach even in LGBTQ+ inclusive regions. The report lays out the realities that conspire to put transgender people at risk, as well as federal and state actions that would move us closer to ending violence against trans and gender non-conforming people.

 

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This past week, HRC has commemorated Transgender Awareness Week, an annual event that is dedicated to illuminating both the progress and unfinished work in the fight for transgender and non-binary equality. The week culminates in Transgender Day of Remembrance, held every year on Nov. 20. To mark the week this year, HRC has held a book reading of “Calvin” by Vanessa and J.R. Ford and hosted a follow-on panel discussion with Black and Brown parents of transgender youth. HRC’s Alabama chapter is co-hosting a Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony in Huntsville, AL. Alabama State Director Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey will be returning to Orlando, FL to offer a TDOR sermon at Joy Metropolitan Community Church on 11/21. HRC’s Mississippi chapter is hosting a Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony in Jackson, MS on 11/20.

WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES – 2019/10/08: A giant Trans Flag unfurled outside the Supreme Court. … [+]LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith (photo below) as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.

The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual day.

Photo above: Rita Hester

RELATED: Dear Trans Women: It’s Okay to Enjoy Being Kinky and Fetishized

Misgendering, misunderstanding, and in most cases just plain ignorance make these numbers flimsy at best, and most likely vastly underestimated. A perfect example of this was the murder of Jordan Cofer (photo below), killed by his own brother in Dayton, Ohio in 2019.

In a story where most of the main stream press buried the lede, the shooter, evidence suggests, was motivated to commit the Dayton massacre because of his shame and/or disgust that his brother was trans.

Teen Vogue’s Ashlee Marie Preston, tweeted a correction to her previous report on the shooting: “Yesterday I reported that a trans womxn named Pebbles LaDime Doe was murdered Aug 4th—not realizing that was the same day as the mass shooting in Dayton. Like many of us; I also didn’t realize Connor Betts didn’t shoot his ‘sister’—but his trans brother.”

Preston continued, “The first person he murdered was his trans brother  (maybe even the catalyst) and the family allowed media to misgender him and use his birth name…even in death. He was a trans man.”

Cofer’s friend Elizabeth Blackburn wrote a moving essay over at Medium, “The dead deserve to be recognized for who they were in life. Far too often when a young LGBTQ person dies, they are not afforded the dignity of an accurate public record. The duty to tell their truth falls to their lovers, friends, and confidantes. Thankfully, Jordan was much loved.”

A lot has been written about Jordan recently, but quotes from any 22-year old’s high school classmates represent only the smallest sliver of a life. We should be grateful, then, that Jordan recently updated his social media accounts and began posting under his chosen name. He wanted a fresh start. He deserved so more than just the start.

The majority of the murders catalogued happened in Brazil, totalling 130. However, Mexico had 63, and the United States saw 30. Only one was counted in the United Kingdom this year. Across Europe, nine trans people were killed, according to the report.

The Trans Murder Monitoring report has been released every year since 2008. Since the project began 11 years ago, they have recorded 3314 deaths. It monitors homicides that happen every year between the dates of between October 1 and September 30. This year the number of deaths is down slightly from 2018’s 369, to 331 this year (but again keep in mind–these are reported deaths).

In 2019, the American Medical Association declared that there is an epidemic of violence targeting the trans community that disproportionately affects Black trans women and trans women of color.

This is a disturbing pattern that has persisted year over year.

Planned Parenthood issued a statement today saying: Transgender rights are human rights. Transgender rights are non-negotiable. Transgender patients always have, and will always be welcome at Planned Parenthood health centers.

None of this is new. But this Transgender Awareness Week, we wanted to say it especially loudly and clearly: Planned Parenthood is proud to stand in solidarity with transgender communities every day.

We believe that LGBTQ+ rights are rooted in the same fundamental values as reproductive rights, and that every person should be able to realize for themselves who they are and decide what they do with their body. We believe that these basic rights should never depend on which state you live in. That’s why we fight for health care policies that help transgender people to feel safe and supported, and why we’re calling on all Planned Parenthood supporters to join that fight.

The Planned Parenthood family is made up of health care providers, educators, and advocates. We are committed to serving all people in our communities with care and respect. We know that when people are truly seen and cared for, their lives, their families’ lives, and their communities are better and healthier.

We also know that health care environments are often hostile to transgender patients: forms that do not acknowledge transgender identities, no systems in place to address a frequent lack of insurance coverage, and staff who do not have the knowledge or skills to provide transgender people with the care they need.

Transgender people, like everyone else, deserve high-quality health care and sex education. Transgender people deserve to be treated with dignity. That’s why we are proud to provide sexual and reproductive services and education to transgender people in communities across the country — including cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, birth control, abortion, and gender-affirming hormone treatment in 39 states and Washington, D.C.

Planned Parenthood health centers are a safe, supportive environment for all patients, and we strive to make sure the gender identities of all patients are acknowledged, respected, and understood.

We hope you will join us this week — and every week — in affirming transgender identities and experiences by continuing to support our health care services and by advocating for better civil rights protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

In solidarity,
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

 

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The Trevor Project: Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. We know today can be a difficult day for many — if you or a transgender young person in your life needs someone to talk to today, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our trained counselors 24/7. 


Transgender Day of Remembrance memorializes transgender and nonbinary lives we have lost to violence. The memorials and commemorations started in 1999. We’ve been holding vigils, attending and speaking at events, and making sure to honor the transgender and nonbinary people that we have loved and lost in our lives for over 20 years as a community.

To put it simply, being transgender and/or nonbinary is not easy. This year alone, we’ve seen a record number of anti-trans legislation and fatal violence. At least 46 transgender and nonbinary people, predominantly Black women, were murdered for simply being who they are.

We cannot look away. In the face of adversity, we must remain committed to advocating for trans-inclusive policies, creating affirming spaces, and showing support for the transgender and nonbinary people in our lives. We can never stop growing our strength as a community, together.

To our transgender and nonbinary supporters, please do anything you can to be kind to yourselves today — and every day. Try to protect some time to practice self-care and allow yourself to feel your emotions without judgment. And if you are a young person who needs help, please reach out to us. We’re always here for you.

And to the transgender and nonbinary members of Team Trevor — we see you, we hear you, and we so deeply appreciate you. You’ve undoubtedly helped save young transgender and nonbinary lives — thank you for being a part of our team and for relentlessly supporting young people.

And to our allies, remember that today must go beyond mourning and remembrance. Only you can decide for yourself what that looks like but here’s a starting point: A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. I also encourage you to explore The Trevor Project’s Resource Center for more opportunities to learn.

We asked our friends and GAYNRD contributors, Jessie Earl, Xander Idris, Cole Hayes, and Luke Hudson (née Ethan Remillard), what TDOR means to them.

Photo above: (from left to right) Jessie Earl, Xander Idris, Cole Hayes, and Luke Hudson

“To me,” says Jessie Earl, “TDOR is a chance for us to take a moment recognize that this path, this sense of community that we hold so dear, has been hard fought and won. That there are those who fought this battle, both own their own and in their own head, as well as out in public for all those to hear, who who cannot forget, should never forget. Yet, most importantly, it’s a day to remember the diversity and true beauty in what it means to be transgender.” Check out Jesse’s YouTube Channel here.

RELATED: Women In Star Trek: A Fraught Vision of the Future of Feminism—Documentary: WATCH

“Today is a day to honor the brave souls who lost their lives by simply being unapologetically themselves, as well as a day to celebrate the courage it takes to be transgender in a time where society isn’t always accepting & people are still grasping what that means”, says Xander Idris. Follow Xander on Insta here.

Cole Hayes adds, “Transgender Day of Remembrance to me, means staying visible for those that are unable to. It means speaking my truth and fighting for those that have lost their lives simply for being them. It’s a day that reminds me how far we still have left to go but also how much stronger we are becoming as a community.” You can follow Cole on Insta here.

RELATED: Gutted: One Trans Man’s Tale of Seeking Answers to His Pain

“Take a minute and remember all the people who had to fight suffer so that I could start taking hormones before I was 18,” Luke Hudson concludes. You can follow Luke on Insta here and Twitter here.

RELATED: Luke Hudson’s Summer Sex Tips

GLAAD will be hosting an online vigil tonight,  November 20, 2019 at 10PM EST/7PM PST on Twitter. There are also events hosted across the country in local communities by advocates.

You can also read this guide to reporting on transgender victims of crime.

Watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary series Born Stars being developed and produced by GAYNRD below.

 

For more information on the Human Rights Campaign’s work on transgender and non-binary equality, visit hrc.org/transgender.

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