DSW Commemorates Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is observed each year on November 20 to commemorate and honor lives lost to acts of anti-transgender violence. TDOR originated in 1999, following the murder of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was stabbed to death in her Boston home in 1998. Transgender rights activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith hosted an event to Commemorate Hester’s death, and TDOR was born.

TDOR is critical to recognizing the violence and persecution that transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals face on a daily basis in the United States. TGNC history is often left out of educational curricula and crimes against TGNC individuals are vastly under-reported, in large part as a result of stigmatization and a lack of safety and support for TGNC individuals within social and governmental institutions.

Organizations and groups across the country host vigils and events to commemorate TDOR. This year, DSW Legal Director Melissa Sontag Broudo and DSW Volunteer Alison Kolins traveled to Providence, RI to attend a large community gathering hosted by Project Weber Renew, Haus of Codac, Black and Pink, and others. The gathering included performances, speeches by advocates and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, awards for local leaders, and personal remembrances for transgender victims of violence. While a somber event, it was clear that the community took great strength in coming together to mourn and rededicate themselves to eradicating anti-transgender violence.