Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024

Audrey Leopold, NASW-MA Intern, BUSSW MSW Candidate

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, I encourage you to take the time to celebrate and grieve the lives of transgender people we have lost due to the bigotry and violence that freely exist in this country.  As we are simultaneously grappling with the return of a dangerous president-elect, NASW-MA is prepared to support our trans community in whatever ways you need.

Every year on November 20, we recognize Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). TDoR is meant to honor the lives of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals who have been lost to anti-trans violence and discrimination.  It was started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to remember Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in her apartment in Boston in 1998.  Since its establishment, TDoR has become nationally recognized as not only a day of reflection and mourning for those who have been lost, but a day reminding the world of the resiliency and strength within the TGD community.

“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

As tomorrow comes, and each day following, we must remember to continue the fight for trans equity. As Gwendolyn Ann Smith reminds us, despite wins for TGD rights in some parts of the country, violence against queer bodies, specifically Black and brown trans bodies, continues to be fed by the hate-fueled agendas of our country’s governing bodies.

Helpful MA Resources:

For NASW Members, see the MA chapter’s newly re-established 

LGBTQ+ Shared Interest Group. MORE INFO HERE

This SIG aims to create a supportive network for queer-identifying NASW-MA members. We hope to provide a space for peer support, where members can connect and share their experiences through storytelling and resource sharing. Utilizing member-driven meetings, we will strive to build a strong, inclusive community that empowers and uplifts its members.

Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Youth

https://www.bagly.org/

A youth-led and adult-supported organization that’s been operating for over 40 years.  Committed to supporting the health, independence, and power of LGBTQ+ youth.

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

https://www.masstpc.org/

An advocacy, education, and community leadership organization that works to ensure the wellbeing, safety, and lived equity of all trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive community members in Massachusetts

Transgender Emergency Fund – MA

https://transemergencyfund.org/

Since 2008, TEF has been providing assistance for low-income and unhoused transgender people living in the Commonwealth

Support Hotlines:

The Trevor Project

1(866)488-7386

A 24/7 crisis line that offers support from trained staff for the LGBTQ community - call, text, online chat options available

Trans Lifeline

(877)565-8860

Provides peer support from trained staff and volunteers - run by and for trans people via hotline