This Friday, 20 November, is internationally observed as the Transgender Day of Remembrance. TDoR annually honours transgender lives lost to violence and follows the Transgender Awareness Week.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 after the unsolved murder of Rita Hester, who was stabbed 20 times in her home.
To this day, transgender people, and Black transgender women in particular, are at a substantially greater risk of dying as victims of violence than other groups.
The Human Rights Campaign reported the number of such deaths in the United States this year as the highest since it began its tracking in 2013.
GLAAD held an online vigil today remembering their names.
Today and the weekend marks the end of the Transgender Awareness Week: time focused on increasing public’s understanding of issues affecting the community and of the meaning of the word “transgender” itself.
You can watch Disclosure – a documentary on representation in film and television produced by and starring transgender people, notably Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) – on Netflix.
Few other educational sources to take advantage of are:
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Documentary about the key figure at Stonewall. Streaming on Netflix.
Award-winning drama series telling stories of people in New York’s ballroom scene during the AIDS epidemic. Pose puts transgender people both in front of and behind the camera. Streaming on Netflix.
Podcast by a transgender non-binary audio producer Callie Wright about the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
YouTube channel of a transgender advocate and educator Chase Ross. The channel is sex-positive and includes his Trans 101 series.
YouTube channel of a transgender advocate and educator Jamie Raines. Jamie speaks openly on his experience and gives advice.
“HRC’s Brief Guide to Getting Transgender Coverage Right”
A piece from the Human Rights Campaign to help journalists avoid doing more harm than good in their work.
“GLAAD Media Reference Guide – Transgender”
Glossary of terms relating to the topic to help cover it appropriately. Includes links to other useful resources.
“Tips for Allies of Transgender People”
GLAAD’s brief guide for anyone trying to be an ally to the community.
