November 20, 2015 marks the seventeenth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day initially created to memorialize Rita Hester, an American trans* woman of color who was slain in her apartment in 1998. Since then, communities have gathered on November 20th for vigils to mourn, honor, and celebrate those lost to anti-trans* violence across the world.
Sadly, Rita’s fate has become an all too common reality. According to a TVT Project report, nearly 271 trans* individuals have been murdered in the past year alone, at least 29 of whom were based in the United States.
However, resiliency is often borne from such tragedy. 2015 has been a year of definitive strides for trans* and gender non-conforming communities across the world. In the last year and a half, Denmark, Malta, Colombia and Ireland joined Argentina in passing historic gender recognition laws, allowing people to self-determine their legal names and gender markers without rights-violating medical requirements. We are inspired by Astraea grantee partners who are highlighting the resilience and resistance of their communities, from Missouri GSA Network’s #LiftingUpLila campaign to Iranti-Org’s establishment of Africa Trans Visibility Day.
This Transgender Day of Remembrance allows us all an opportunity to celebrate and listen intently to trans* communities. Astraea stands in solidarity with trans* folks and recommits ourselves to supporting struggles for gender, racial and economic justice for all.
Several Astraea grantee partners are hosting Transgender Day of Remembrance events. This week is a chance to witness the work that trans* activists are doing across the country, give a gift to a trans*-led grantee partner in honor of our trans* heroes, or spread the word.
