Mack Benge, Staff Writer
Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is held on Nov. 20th, represents a day to reflect on all the trans individuals who have been murdered. Trans people, specifically black trans women, are frequently harassed, discriminated against, become victims of hate crimes and sadly, many are murdered. According to Forbes, 320 trans people across the world have been killed since Oct. 2022 to now. He says around 94% of the 320 murdered individuals were trans feminine. To continue,
“Most were Black, and many were sex workers too. 80% of those killed were of trans people affected by racism, an increase of 15% from last year”
J. Wareham
Another appalling layer added onto the deaths of these individuals is that a majority of transgender hate crimes go unreported, “meaning the actual number of deaths could be far higher” (Wareham). There are many reasons for this. Hate crimes are difficult to prove because it depends on the specific individuals involved and the nature and motivation behind those people. It depends on where in the country or the world the hate crime took place, if anybody was physically hurt or if words were exchanged, it depends on the social status of all individuals… etc. Sometimes, it depends on the person doing the crime. PBS NewsHour states that, “since 2013, nearly one-fifth of those whose killer is known were killed by an intimate partner.” Other times, the person who was hurt just doesn’t have the emotional capacity to go through the justice system. The point is that there are many nuances in these types of crimes within the transgender community.
Trans Day of Remembrance was founded by Gwendolyn Ann Smith. In 1999, one year after her transgender sister’s brutal murder, she started a candlelight vigil to remember Rita and all the other transgender people who died this way. It stuck and eventually developed into an International Trans Day of Remembrance. Gwendolyn herself is a trans woman. She is also a writer and designer who currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area. Since creating Transgender Day of Remembrance, she has also created Transgender Awareness Week which is the week of Nov. 20th. She has a column in Bay Area Reporter titled “Transmissions.” The most recent article she has written is “Forgotten Histories,” where she talks about how in the history Americans are taught, trans people don’t exist. She writes about the complexities of what that even means. If you want to read it, here is the link: www.ebar.com.
Transgender Day of Remembrance hasn’t been around for a long time, but it has made a huge impact. The most critical thing Trans Day of Remembrance accomplishes is the awareness it brings to the crimes committed against trans people and the statistics of mental health and suicide rates. It is also a way to bring awareness that trans people are alive and that they are your neighbors, friends, and family. So go be kind to the trans people you know.
Resources:
- Schoenbaum, H. (2022, November 16). Report says at least 32 transgender people were killed in the U.S. in 2022. PBS.
- Smith, G. A. (n.d.). Transmissions: Forgotten Histories. Bay Area Reporter.
- Transgender Day of remembrance resource kit for journalists. GLAAD. (2011, September 5).
- Wareham, J. (2023, November 14). Beaten, stabbed and shot: 320 trans people killed in 2023 – New Monitoring Report. Forbes.
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