Tuesday, November 20th is the 2018 Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which memorializes trans individuals who have died because of transphobia and acts of violence against the trans community. TDOR was inspired by the vigil held for Rita Hester, a trans woman from Allston, MA, who was murdered in 1998, exactly 20 years ago. Boston Pride invites all in our community to come and remember those we have lost. You may find a list of events below. Boston’s transgender community remembers local victims Chanelle Pickett, Debra Forte, Monique Thomas, Georgette Hart, Diane Carter, Denise Pugliesi, Monique Rogers, Lisa Daniels, Rita Hester, CJ Garber, Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, and too many more.
In 2018, 22 transgender individuals have already been fatally shot or killed by other violent means. We remember them all and #saytheirnames: Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, Viccky Gutierrez, Celine Walker, Tonya Harvey, Zakaria Fry, Phylicia Mitchell, Amia Tyrae Berryman, Sasha Wall, Karla Patricia Flores-Pavón, Nino Fortson, Gigi Pierce, Antash’a English, Diamond Stephens, Cathalina Christina James, Keisha Wells, Sasha Garden, Vontashia Bell, Dejanay Stanton, Shantee Tucker, Londonn Moore, Nikki Enriquez, and Ciara Minaj Carter Frazier.
Thank you to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and the Trans Club of New-England for their work year-round and for compiling a list of these events.
Boston
Dewey Square and Cathedral Church of St. Paul
November 18, 2018, at 4:45 PM
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rita Hester’s death, the traditional service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul will be preceded by a march to remember and memorialize Rita Hester and trans / gender-non-conforming individuals lost in the last two decades.
Gathering for the march will be at 4:45pm at Dewey Square. The march will begin at 5pm. The indoor service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul will begin at 6 PM. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Bunker Hill Community College
November 20, 2018, at 1:00 PM
The event will be held in the Bunker Hill Community College Auditorium (room C202) and will include a service and light refreshments.
Cape Cod
November 20, 2018, 5:30 PM
The Fourth Annual Cape Cod remembrance honoring those transgender individuals who have met violent deaths will begin with a light meal starting at 5:30 pm and followed by a program of speakers, culminating in the reading of the names of those to be remembered. There is no charge, no tickets are needed and reservations are not required. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Chelmsford
November 17, 2018, 6 PM
The 9th annual vigil for International Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held on Saturday, November 17, beginning at 6pm at 2 Westford Street, on the Chelmsford Common. The vigil is organized by the Welcoming Congregation Committee of the church, as part of our commitment to being welcoming and inclusive by honoring the dates that are special to members of the LGBTQ+ community and advocating on issues important to them. The event will consist in a gathering, a procession, and a brief ceremony on the Chelmsford Common. The second part of the lay-led vigil will meet in the Chapel (next to the parking lot). In a service that will include music, the names of those killed around the world during the past year as a result of transphobia will be read. The vigil will end with words by Pat Taber and a brief period of the fellowship. Childcare will be available. People are welcome to come for either or both parts of the vigil.
Pat Taber is a transgender person who has been a political activist on this year’s campaign to preserve Massachusetts’ Transgender Public Accommodations protection Law. She is a veteran, a proud father and a software engineer. She has a deep connection to the transgender community and strongly promotes trans inclusion into society at large. She views being transgender as a gift given to a select few as a part of God’s plan for humanity. She views the death of a transgender person to be a loss, not just to the community, but to a society that needs the unique gifts they bring.
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Lexington
November 18, 2018, 1-2 PM
Please join us in honoring the lives of transgender people killed in anti-trans violence in the United States in 2018 at the Lexington Battle Green. May they rest in power. In 1999, Gwendolyn Ann Smith organized a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated the lives of all transgender people lost to violence since Rita’s death, beginning a tradition that is now the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. A record number of transgender people have been killed so far in 2018, most of them transgender women of color. We will commemorate their lives and talk about the intersecting problems of transphobia, misogyny, racism, and violence — with an eye toward action and healing. This event is sponsored by LexPride and the First Parish in Lexington. If the weather is bad, we will meet inside First Parish. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Lowell
November 19, 2018, 4 PM
The Center for Hope and Healing, UMass Lowell Gender Studies & Office of Multicultural Affairs and Greater Lowell Health Alliance invite you to join us for this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance: Community, Dialogues, & Vigil. There will be two simultaneous sessions starting at 4 PM leading into a vigil at 5:45 PM:
Trans & Non-Binary Community Space
UMass Lowell South Campus, O’Leary 325, 4 PM – 5:30 PM
A space for trans & non-binary folx to come together in communities, make new connections, and strengthen support systems.
Cis-Gender Dialogue Space
UMass Lowell South Campus, O’Leary 329, 4 PM – 5:30 PM
To enter a brave space to discuss barriers in being allies to trans and non-binary folx and how to practice allyship ahead.
Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil:
UMass Lowell South Campus Quad, 5:45 PM
To honor and respect our trans family who have been taken from us and #SayTheirNames.
To RSVP or ask any questions please email nikki@chhinc.org. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Malden
November 20, 2018, 7 PM
Please join First Parish in Malden for our Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance service, where we remember all those who were killed due to anti-transgender violence. Come and be held in community with your all grief, rage, and sorrow. Fellowship and food to follow after the service. All are welcome. The First Parish Malden Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 2 Elm St, Malden, MA 02148. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Needham
November 19, 2018, 7 PM
Needham clergy members and special guest speakers welcome all to Needham’s second Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience event. We will remember trans people who were killed in hate crimes in the past year; embrace and lift up stories of resilience from trans and genderqueer people; and, look forward in hope to how we become a more inclusive and safe community and country for people of all gender identities. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Northampton
November 20, 2018, 5:30 PM
The program will begin at 5:30 PM at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence (220 Main St, Northampton, Massachusetts 01060) with a candlelit vigil that will process through downtown Northampton, followed by an hour-long indoor program at USNF commencing at 6 PM. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is an international event to honor the lives of transgender people who have been murdered due to hate crimes. We will also recognize transgender and non-binary individuals who suffer or have committed suicide due to the complex intersection of life issues including bullying, invisibility, marginalization, rejection, lack of economic opportunity, and depression. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Pittsfield
November 20, 2018, 5:30-7:30 PM
The event will be held at St Stephens Church 67 East St, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201. The Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started 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 that year and began an important memorial that has become the annual Trans Day of Remembrance. During the days surrounding November 20, thousands of TDOR events will be taking place internationally in honor of those we have lost. The Trans Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses faced due to anti-trans bigotry and violence, the need to fight for equal rights and full protection under the law, and that it is a fundamental human right to be free to simply exist and live authentically. With so many seeking to erase trans and gender non-conforming 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. We will be remembering and honoring our neighbor Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, the first person we lost in 2017. This event is being co-hosted by Berkshire Pride, Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition, Berkshire Trans Group, Indivisible Pittsfield Events, Pittsfield Human Rights Commission, Berkshire Rainbow Seniors, and Elizabeth Freeman Center. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Salem
November 14, 2018, 6:30P M
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on 11/20 that honors those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Transcendence will be observing TDOR with a candlelight vigil for our 11/14 meeting. We will meet at the nAGLY space in the Museum Place Mall, lead a procession down Essex Street and into the Salem Commons where we will have a moment of silence and read the names of lives lost this year. We will then be heading back to the nAGLY space to have a hot beverage, unite and socialize. This meeting will run from 6:30-8:30 PM. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Waterville, ME
November 20, 2018, 6 PM
TDOR, co-sponsored by PFLAG Waterville, PSUMC Reconciling Ministries Team, and Out & Allied Youth Theatre, will be held on Nov, 20, 2018 at 6pm at REM (Revitalizing the Energy), 31 Temple St., Waterville, Maine. All are welcome!
Worcester
November 15, 2018, 6 PM
In 2017, there were 29 transgender people were murdered in the United States in hate crimes. 2018 is expected to be the deadliest year for transgender people. On this night we will be honoring those who have lost their lives due to anti-trans violence, as well as suicide, because we acknowledge that suicide is also a product of transphobia. Join us at Clark University for the reading of the names and an opportunity to speak words of respect and remembrance. After the Vigil, we will be heading to JC001 to have a debrief session. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.