Friday, November 20, marks the 22nd annual Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR). The annual memorial was founded in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a way to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman who was murdered in 1998.
Smith recalls, “Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people—sometimes in the most brutal ways possible—it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
Advocates in New Orleans are planning a NOLA Trans March of Resilience on Friday beginning at 1:00pm at the intersection of Jefferson Davis Parkway and Orleans Avenue in Mid-City.
According to the national PFLAG website, at least 47 people have been murdered in the last year for being trans:
- 28 Sep 2020, Mia Green, 29, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 19 Sep 2020, Aerrion Burnett, 37, Independence, Missouri
- 15 Sep 2020, Gia Valentina Romualdo Rodríguez, 46, Miami, Florida
- 7 Sep 2020, Isabella Mia Lofton, 21, Brooklyn, New York
- 31 Aug 2020, Elie Che, 23, The Bronx, New York
- 26 Aug 2020, Shelley Lynn Rose, 16
- 13 Aug 2020, Kee Sam, 24, Lafayette, Louisiana
- 28 Jul 2020, Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears (“Rocky Rhone”), 32, Portland, Oregon
- 27 Jul 2020, Queasha Hardy, 24, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 26 Jul 2020, Tiffany Harris (“Dior H Ova”), 32, The Bronx, New York
- 13 Jul 2020, Marilyn Monroe Cazares, 22, Brawley, California
- 6 Jul 2020, Angela Martinez Gómez, 42, Santa Monica, California
- 4 Jul 2020, Summer Taylor, 24, Seattle, Washington
- 3 Jul 2020, Bree Black, 27, Pompano Beach, Florida
- 1 Jul 2020, Shaki Peters, 32, Amite City, Louisiana
- 30 Jun 2020, Draya McCarty, 28, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 30 Jun 2020, Merci Mack, 22, Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas
- 30 Jun 2020, Tatiana Hall, 22, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 25 Jun 2020, Brayla Stone, 17, Sherwood, Arkansas
- 13 Jun 2020, Brian Powers (“Eagle”), , Akron, Ohio
- 9 Jun 2020, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, 27, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 9 Jun 2020, Riah Milton, 25, Liberty Township, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 6 Jun 2020, Name Unknown, 16-20, Chicago, Illinois
- 31 May 2020, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37, Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois
- 27 May 2020, Tony McDade, 38, Tallahassee, Florida
- 9 May 2020, Jayne Thompson, 33, Orchard Mesa, Colorado
- 6 May 2020, Helle Jae O’Regan, 20, San Antonio, Texas
- 3 May 2020, Nina Pop, 28, Sikeston, Missouri
- 11 Apr 2020, Johanna Metzger, , Baltimore, Maryland
- 3 Apr 2020, Henrietta Robinson, 79, Miami, Florida
- 1 Apr 2020, Ashley Moore, 26, Newark, New Jersey
- 30 Mar 2020, Lorena Borjas, 59, Queens, New York
- 28 Mar 2020, Lexi “Ebony” Sutton, 33, Harlem, New York
- 18 Mar 2020, Monica Diamond, 34, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 12 Mar 2020, John Scott Devore/Scottlyn Kelly Devore, 51, Augusta, Georgia
- 21 Feb 2020, Camila María Concepción, 28, Los Angeles, California
- 4 Jan 2020, Alex McCray, 22, St. Louis, Missouri
- 1 Jan 2020, Dustin Parker, 25, McAlester, Oklahoma
- 29 Dec 2019, Mia Penny, 26, Washington, D.C.
- 19 Dec 2019, Yahira Nesby, 33, Brooklyn, New York
- 18 Dec 2019, Alice Carter (“Baby Alice”), 35, Washington, D. C.
- 10 Dec 2019, Angel Rose Garcia, 21, Hyattsville, Maryland
- 7 Dec 2019, Nikki Kuhnhausen, 17, Larch Mountain, Oregon
- 14 Oct 2019, Brianna “BB” Hill, 30, Kansas City, Missouri
- 11 Oct 2019, Daphne Dorman, 44, San Francisco, California
- 10 Oct 2019, Christine Zephier, 23, Mankato, Minnesota
- 6 Oct 2019, Corbin Ray Bach, 23, Paducah, Kentucky
