Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith 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 Transgender Day of Remembrance.

On November 20, 2019, Blue Montana, a trans man and founder of the Trans Pride Foundation held Las Vegas’ Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Center for Spiritual Living. 

The local transgender community gathered to honor the 331 transgender lives that were lost this past year with expressions in the form of poetry, song, discussion and a display of the trans memorial quilts created from articles of clothing which displayed the names of transgender victims of violence.

The room was filled with trans community members who took turns reading the victims’ names out loud.    

Two days later, on the 22nd, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center held their own TDOR event.

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As the plight of the trans community becomes more visible in mainstream media, transgender community members are struggling against non-trans-led organizations trying to capitalize on and/or profit from their community’s struggle and pain.

Even observances and holidays dedicated to transgender people, continue to be hijacked by non-trans LGB community members and organizations that use financial means to persuade their employees & associates to attend their events over trans-led events. 

Even organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, who are notorious for their controversial past in regards to the trans community, have been involved in this invasive behavior. 

As the trans community network becomes stronger, some trans-led nonprofits have created efforts like the Fund for Trans Generations (FTG) to ensure that frontline trans activists and organizations have the financial resources needed to advance the safety, security, and the rights of trans people.

Since its launch in 2017, FTG has provided $1.9 million in general operating support grants, rapid response funding, and coaching and capacity-building resources to trans-led organizations. They trust and support the leadership of trans people to know what they need resources for.

People need to trust trans community members, leaders and organizations to organize their own observances.  

Non-trans LGB community members and organizations need to stop appropriating trans events and culture.