Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

You can read more about the Transgender Day of Remembrance below, and find out how you can show support for the community on this day.

The week before TDOR, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise visibility for transgender people and address issues the community faces.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“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.”

– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Our Host: Mimi Loughran

Mimi is a Non-Binary Performer/Practitioner based between Cumbria and Teesside. Associate Director of Not A Duck Productions. They are passionate about bridging the gap between Classical Theatre and Contemporary Stories representing the diverse world we live in today.

Performances

Teesside’s Inclusive choir SYSTEMIC will launch this years TDOR led by Ellie Lowther

That Clare: Teesside based trans singer/songwriter who brings an eclectic mix of acoustic punk/alternative sounds and protest songs inspired by the likes of Laura Jane Grace, Radiohead & Pattie Smith Systemic Choir Over to you Ellie!

Elijah Oak: Elijah is a folk songwriter still new to the community, bringing stories put to music about trans youth, mental health and the messiness of self acceptance

Adam Kelly: Aka Little Adam is a non-binary musician singer/songwriter originally from Lincolnshire and currently attending Teesside University.

Miles Nelson: Miles is an author from County Durham. He often writes stories highlighting the struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and tries to include themes of empathy and inclusivity in all he does.

There will be talks and a video from Teesside University, showing those people across our 2SLGBTQIA+ family that raise their heads above the parapet so that younger generations can see our community represented and give us a voice.

We then have the reading of the names of those who have lost their lives to hatred and bigotry as we conclude with a reading of this years TDOR list.

As community comes together from this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance. We are stronger together.

Many thanks to ARC, Teesside University and the Free To Be Me Project for holding this space for us all.

Content warning: This event features themes of violence, discrimination and suicide that may be upsetting for the audience.

The event is free event – no booking is required.

You can join the online event below.