Transgender Day or Remembrance 2023

Maya G. / 2023-11-30

For those who don't know, the Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of all those in the trans community whose lives were lost due to transphobic violence. This year the 20th fell on a school day, which meant Nepean's GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) was able to put together an amazing bake sale at lunch. I, personally, had to try the cupcakes and brownies, especially with the colors of the trans flag on it, and both tasted amazing! More importantly, however, all the money made from the bake sale went towards Kind Space - a wonderful organization/charity dedicated to creating a safe space for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through education, advocacy, support groups and a fully staffed community center.

The history of the Trans day of Remembrance is that it was originally created in 1999 by the transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in 1998. Ever since then the tradition has continued and involved, to include honoring every transgender person who has been lost to violence, as well as the week leading up to it being for people and organizations to participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise visibility for transgender people and the issues they face.

There are many ways to get involved in the annual observance, one of which being raising money for organizations that are in a position to provide safe spaces for, advocate for, and/or raise money directly for the trans community. So, if you went to the bake sale and got some sweet treats like I did, that's a great step forward! You can also do more research about the day and then spread awareness of the threats of anti-transgender violence in Canada as well as worldwide by speaking to friends, family members and classmates about what you learnt. Not to mention attending vigils - which often involves reading a list of the names of those lost that year - we've had ones at the school before and they've been very moving. (Though, please be aware, those can include sensitive topics, so if it's not for you there are other options.)

For more information about the Transgender Day of Remembrance, feel free to visit GLAAD's article on the subject: https://glaad.org/tdor/