Art by Micah Bazant
The Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20th, honors the memory of those murdered in acts of anti-transgender violence. We grieve for those who are lost and remember them with love and respect. They are not forgotten. Here is a link to a list of those we know (many are untracked) who died in 2015. Trigger warning, this list contains not only the people’s names, but the date, place, and cause of death.
Trans and gender non-conforming people of color face disproportionate rates of violence and poverty. But there is also a powerful story of leadership towards social justice, nurturing others and thriving despite the oppressive situation in our society.
To often Trans lives are erased from history. For example the much loathed movie Stonewall which came out on 2015 replaced the trans and POC women who led the protest, Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera, with cis-gendered white men. Fortunately this story is now being told right in the new movie Happy Birthday Marsha.
Alongside the Transgender Day of Remembrance is the Transgender Day of Resilience, celebrating stories of trans power, vision and leadership. In partnership with Strong Families, artist Micah Bazant facilitated collaborations between trans artists and organizations that advocate for trans and gender-nonconforming people. Check out the beautiful images here.
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