🏳️‍⚧️Transgender Day of Remembrance🏳️‍⚧️

lross80
Nov 20, 2024
2 min read

Today, on the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), we wanted to share an event for the day and important messages from the 519.

Trans People Deserve More Than Our Awareness

People need to push beyond just being aware.

Through their experiences leading trainings as part of our Education and Training initiatives, Jo Jefferson (they/them), shares, "A lot of folks say they're worried about saying the wrong thing. It's okay if you don't get it perfect. But saying and doing nothing out of fear is only helping continue the harm done to trans people."

With just a little bit of education, people can be empowered to take actions like challenging homophobic and transphobic policies in their workplace, or speaking up when you witness transphobia in public.

Real allyship is action. It means actively challenging transphobia, because transphobia kills.

Why Grief Is Necessary

Our theme for TDoR 2024 – Grieving the Past to Protect our Future – reflects on the complexity of the day. It’s both a memorial and a celebration.

Poet and activist Malkia Devich-Cyril reminds us that grief is necessary for our collective healing and liberation:

“As we seek to breathe a new world into being, being an effective changemaker demands the right and power to feel our losses rather than escape them. We must give our grieving bodies what they need, individually and collectively.”

In our grief, we find solidarity and resilience. But resilience shouldn’t be a burden placed solely on us. We ask our allies, leaders, and policymakers to share that responsibility. Challenge hate, foster safer environments, and embrace our community’s right to thrive.