Today we remember those we’ve lost to anti-transgender violence.
If you don’t want to be alone today, there are a list of observances and vigils here.
If you want to be alone, but still need someone to talk to, Trans Lifeline is a non-profit support line for transgender people and people struggling with gender identity. They’re available by phone in the US (877-565-8860) and Canada (877-330-6366).
At least 25 trans people have been murdered this year in the United States alone – internationally, it’s in the hundreds – and the majority of those we’ve lost were transgender women of color. Transphobia is not merely alive and well; it is thriving and militant. It has taken too many of us, of our brothers and sisters and siblings, away far too soon.
November 20 is set aside as a day to mourn the transgender people who have been lost to violence and hatred; it’s a day for grief and reflection. It’s also a reminder of the work we must do every other day of the year. Our knowledge of and commitment to the fight for transgender justice should not only come up each November 20. I’m talking especially to my fellow cis people: we have to do the work. All. Year. Long. It’s never been more important.
Today, we mourn. Every other day of the year, we fight like hell. Here are a few ways to get started:
me, thinking about those times when you’re sat at a window seat on the bus and a stranger sits beside you trapping you there and your stop is coming up but you’re on a seat that isn’t near a stop button so you’re going to have to communicate with this stranger to move while the bus is still in motion and navigate to a stop button in time without falling but you’re bad at socialization and maintaining your balance: heights