30 Oct, 2020

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020

Every year, Transgender Day of Remembrance honours the memory of transgender people who have lost their lives through transphobic violence.

We light a candle, we say their names, we honour and remember them.

Transgender Day of Remembrance began in the USA on November 20 in 1999 to honour the memory of Rita Hester – an African American/ Black transgender who was killed in Boston in 1998.

The vigil has grown each year and now resonates across the globe, empowering and uniting the LGBTQI+ communities to bring urgent attention to the plight of trans and gender diverse people.

This year we have the opportunity to create an online event that will be seen across the globe. Curated by Bhenji Ra and featuring BIPOC transgender and gender-diverse performers, activists, and artists (including The Legendary House of Slé, The House of Alexander and New Zealand’s House of Iman, The Curtis Sisters, Star Ah Mer Ah Su, Writer & Poet Jaya Jacob and Digg Franco), the event will be a stunning commemoration of the enduring legacy of our friends and family we have lost.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is happening in partnership between The Gender Centre, City of Sydney, Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC), Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) and Amazon.