Safe Schools Project

Resources for Queer Youth and Educators in Santa Cruz County

LGBTQ History November P1


[Poster by Micah Bazant]

Event: November 20th: Transgender Day of Remembrance/Resilience

Overview: Transgender Day of Remembrance, or Resilience, is a day to honor and remember lives that have been lost to anti-trans violence. This day was started in 1999 by trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998, and all others who since had died.  Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the gender they were assigned at birth. The opposite of transgender is cisgender – cis means someone whose gender identity is aligned with their biological sex.

Action: Do something to remember trans people. Participate in a vigil or do something nice for a trans person you may know.

Quick Lesson Steps:

  • Questions to Ask: What do you know about transgender people? Why is it important to have a remembrance day for transgender people?

  • Show / Do:
    a) Give background: Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), or Resilience, is a day to honor and remember lives that have been lost to anti-trans violence. This day was started in 1999 by trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998, and all others who since had died. Hester was a highly visible member of the transgender community in her native Boston, MA where she worked locally on education around transgender issues. To this day, trans violence, especially against trans women of color, have continued at increasing rates. 

    b) Why does TDOR exist?: TDOR and TDOR actions, such as vigils which usually consist of naming the trans people who were killed within the past year, raise awareness about the anti-trans violence that persists that mainstream media largely ignores, or if news outlets do, they usually misgender and/or mis-name those people. TDOR is also a way for people to come together with love and respect to mourn for those lost and call for change. 

    c) Why is it sometimes called Transgender Day of Resilience?: Some people call TDOR ‘Transgender Day of Resilience’ because while honoring those who have died, they also wish to focus on the transgender communities’ survival, strength, leadership, and visions as well as people in the community who are thriving. This is also a way for people to gather strength and push for change in the name of those who have died. For example, in 2014, the Audre Lorde Project and Forward Together started the Trans Day of Resilience art project which commissions trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming artists to create posters envisioning a better world.

    d) Show a video(s): Trans Day Of Remembrance 2017: We remember, we resist [1:53 min; contains mentions of violence]; The Personal Things [3:03 min; contains swearing]

    e) Optional: Show different pieces of artwork from Trans Day of Resilience

  • Reflection Questions:  What can you do in your school to make it a safer place for trans people?

Background:

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), or Resilience, is a day to honor and remember lives that have been lost to anti-trans violence. This day was started in 1999 by trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998, and all others who since had died.

Hester was a highly visible member of the transgender community in her native Boston, MA where she worked locally on education around transgender issues. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Hester was stabbed 20 times in her apartment. A neighbor called the police, and she was rushed to the hospital. She passed away from cardiac arrest only moments after being admitted. About two decades later, police still have not found Hester’s murderer/s.

In addition to the vigil, Smith launched the Transgender Day of Remembrance website to recognize and remember those whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence. Organizations throughout the world — from Groupe Activiste Trans in Paris to Human Rights Commission of Tel Aviv in Israel to Diritti in Movimiento in Pescara, Italy — have since taken to recognizing the day.

Most TDOR vigils that take place consist of naming the trans people who were killed within the past year. TDOR actions, such as vigils, raise awareness about the anti-trans violence that persists that mainstream media largely ignores, or if news outlets do, they usually misgender and/or mis-name those people. TDOR is also a way for people to come together with love and respect to mourn for those lost and call for change.

Some people call TDOR ‘Transgender Day of Resilience’ because while honoring those who have died, they also wish to focus on the transgender communities’ survival, strength, leadership, and visions as well as people in the community who are thriving. This is also a way for people to gather strength and push for change in the name of those who have died. For example, in 2014, the Audre Lorde Project and Forward Together started the Trans Day of Resilience art project which commissions trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming artists to create posters envisioning a better world.     

Resources:

Table of Contents

See more LGBTQ History Lessons here.