Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance
By Brittany Berger
Are you making it a point in your family to observe Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance? Sometimes it feels like these holidays appear every month, what even is the significance of these observances? They may not be as fun as Pride Month, but we can use this time to educate our communities about trans awareness and honor our trans siblings and friends whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
The families of at least 27 transgender people who were violently killed in 2024 will be missing their loved ones over the holidays for the first time. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC, 2024), “74% of victims were people of color, 48% were black transgender women, 63% were killed with a gun, 38% of victims with a known killer were killed by romantic/sexual partner, friend, or family member.” Further the HRC reports that 37% of transgender people who were killed were misgendered or deadnamed by the authorities or the press.
This data is a hard pill to swallow and highlights the importance of continued observance of a week to promote awareness of transgender rights. According to GLAAD, when this awareness week started, it was necessary to promote awareness of trans rights prior to a day of remembrance if it was going to reach the people who need it the most. As parents we know this world is a scary place for our queer families, and even if we surround ourselves with supportive community and allies, we can let our guard down without this annual reminder. If we can educate even one person who didn’t previously support trans rights and help them open their mind; we know that once you see it, you can’t unsee it, and we can not let these transgender victims’ lives go in vain.
Transgender Awareness week in observed from November 13th through November 19th. If you are looking for a way to use this time to increase your awareness, GLAAD paired with IMDb to create a list of 18 documentaries to watch for awareness week. GLAAD does disclaim, “No trans experience is universal, and while it would be impossible to curate a list addressing every facet of our diverse community, these lists were developed with intersections of race, class, and country of origin, in mind.” You can find that here: https://glaad.org/glaads-must-watch-films-for-trans-awareness-week-curated-in-partnership-with-imdb/
You can find a Transgender day of Remembrance event in San Diego on November 20th at The Center from 5-7 PM; it’s free and all are welcome. There is a post-event social happening at RICH’S patio from 8-10 PM for parents and those 21+. More info at: https://thecentersd.org/events/tdor-2024/