Transphobia kills, and it does so in a cruel and targeted manner. Adding to the tragedy of each life lost is the general apathy of dominant culture toward the struggles of transgender persons. Indeed, this apathy is itself fertile soil for such transphobic violence. Insofar as silence and inaction constitute complicity, we all have a part to play in preserving the memories of those transgender persons who lose their lives to hateful violence and working toward a world where transphobic ideologies are collectively and emphatically rejected as the nonsense that they are.
It is in this spirit that Transgender Day of Remembrance is honored and observed, on November 20th of each year.
History
The story of Trans Day of Remembrance begins with the murders of two Black transgender woman in Massachusetts: Chanelle Picket, who was killed in Watertown in November of 1995; and Rita Hester, who was killed nearby in Alston in November of 1998. Following a lack of proper care and respect in media coverage of these murders—as well as dwindling public memory of the tragedies—activists Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Nancy Nangeroni, and Jahaira DeAlto founded Transgender Day of Remembrance as a day to memorialize those who have lost their lives due to acts of transphobic violence.
Each year, Trans Day of Remembrance is observed on November 20th, the anniversary of Picket’s murder. The occasion follows Trans Awareness Week, which runs from November 13th through November 19th. Importantly, Trans Day of Remembrance is distinct from Trans Day of Visibility, observed each year on March 31st. While both days center awareness of transphobia and advocacy for the transgender community, Trans Day of Visibility celebrates the lives and achievements of the transgender community while Trans Day of Remembrance serves as an occasion to honor those who have been violently and hatefully taken from us.
Looking Back on 2023
According to a report released by the Human Rights Campaign, of the 33 transgender and gender expansive persons known to have been murdered in the United States during 2023, the victims were disproportionately persons of color (90.9%), transgender women (69.7%), and under the age of 35 (78.8%). The most targeted intersection was Black transgender women (61.8%).
The report also confirms that “among those with a known killer, almost half (45.5%) were killed by a friend, family member, or sexual/romantic intimate partner” and that “more than half (51.5%) were initially misgendered by police or in news reports.”
Globally, the Trans Murder Monitoring 2023 Report identified 321 transgender and gender expansive persons known to have been murdered between October 1st, 2022 and September 30th, 2023. Similar trends appear: 94% of victims were transgender women or trans feminine persons, 80% were persons affected by racism, and 77% were between the ages of 19 and 40. Additionally, the 2023 report indicates that globally, 48% of those murdered were also sex workers. In Europe, 78% were sex workers.
A list of names and limited information on each of the 321 persons taken from us has been compiled alongside the 2023 Report.
Moving forward
While transphobia continues to be inculcated by the continued assault on transgender communities by politicians in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, it is imperative that cisgender allies not just stand, but march with the transgender community in efforts to both legally enshrine protections and erode cultures of cisnormativity and the lethal scaffolding it provides for transphobia and transphobic violence.
Framing Matters
Collectively, we must dispel the myth that the “transgender issue” is a “political issue” and instead affirm, as many times as necessary, that transgender persons are a part of global history and that transgender experiences are natural variations within the umbrella of human experiences. Framing the lives and well-being of transgender persons as a “political issue” already yields too much ground: we must fight for trans rights as basic, fundamental human rights.
Intersectionality is Key
Given the disproportionate targeting of Black transgender women, it is unreasonable to move forward with anything but an intersectional framework. The fight against transphobia doesn’t just go hand-in-hand with the fights against racism, misogyny, and classism—they are all sides of the very same struggle. One simply cannot understand any of these axes of oppression in isolation from the others, and tackling them collectively requires a sensitive, multi-pronged, and bold approach that directly centers the voices of marginalized—especially multi-marginalized—persons.
Decriminalization now
The criminalization of sex work is a contributing factor to the risks of violence faced by sex workers, which is one among the primary reasons the organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Campaign, UNAIDS, World Health Organization, and more all support the decriminalization of consensual adult sex work. A survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that, of those interviewed, more than one-in-ten (13%) of transgender persons were “engaged in sex work” or “trading sex for housing,” with 44% of Black transgender persons and 33.2% of Hispanic or Latinx transgender persons reporting the same. Given the earlier statistic of sex workers constituting 48% of the past year’s victims of transphobic violence globally (78% in Europe), it is clear that the fight for trans liberation and safety cannot be and should not be separated from the struggle for sex worker rights. Simply: decriminalizing sex work is one of many steps forward toward ending transphobic violence.
It’s On All Of Us
321 transgender persons taken by transphobic violence is 321 too many, and the transgender community does not have the political power to face this struggle alone. If you’re a cisgender ally, please remember that effective allyship is active allyship. Not everyone needs to be staging sit-ins and marching in the streets—the activism of active allyship can and should take many forms, with roles all of us can play.
What all of us can do, however, is make sure to center transgender voices and stories, question our own internalized transphobia, push back on cisnormative structures, and work individually and collectively to transform ourselves and our communities into spaces where transphobic violence is fully recognized as the atrocity that it is and is met with neither excuse nor deflection nor apathy.
As a transgender person myself, I wish peace for all who have faced the hateful violence of transphobia, strength and rest for all who are united in the ongoing struggle for trans liberation, and a sense of deep motivation for all who are waiting to take their first step toward joining the fight. If you haven’t yet, I ask you: what are you waiting for?
Written by Ley David Elliette Cray, PhD (she/they), GSRD (Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Diversity) Content Specialist for the Sexual Health Alliance.
Are you passionate about sexual health, relationships, and well-being? SHA offers a range of certification programs designed to empower you with the knowledge and skills needed to make a meaningful impact in this field. Our programs are renowned for their comprehensive curriculum, expert faculty, and commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Choose your path and join us on the journey toward becoming a certified professional in sexual health. Learn more about our certification programs:
Elevate your career, expand your knowledge, and make a difference. Enroll today and join the SHA community!