Honoring Our Fallen, Continuing Our Fight

This month, we recognize Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20. This is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a tradition of honoring, remembering, and holding space for our transgender and gender-expansive siblings who we’ve lost to anti-trans violence. It is a day born from activism, love, and the need to acknowledge the lives taken from us too soon.

TDOR exists because of the grief and courage of trans people who refused to stay silent. It is a collective act of mourning and resistance, one that connects us to generations of queer and trans people who built community from the margins. The preservation and perseverance of our community, especially those most at risk, have always been radical acts.

Transgender women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera taught us that revolutionary joy and self-expression are not luxuries; they are tools for survival. Their legacy reminds us that remembrance is not passive. It is a call to build a world where every trans person can live safely, freely, and fully themselves.

This year, we honor more than 300 transgender and gender nonconforming people whose lives were reported lost to violence. The vast majority were Black, Brown, and immigrant women. These community members lived at the intersections of racism, misogyny, and transphobia. Each name represents a story, a family, and a future that should have been protected.

Trans Day of Remembrance asks us not only to mourn those lost, but to confront the systems that allow this violence to continue. In a time when efforts to erase trans people from public life are on the rise, remembrance becomes an act of resistance. It reminds us that visibility is not enough. We must fight for safety, equity, and recognition. 

We carry the grief of our fallen siblings, but we also carry their light. Each year, we recommit ourselves to building the world they deserved, one where no one’s identity puts their life at risk. 

We will persevere and persist, no matter what politicians and extremists may think. Because our community has always found a way to turn remembrance into resilience and loss into love.

Join us to honor and remember the trans and non-binary lives lost at our Trans Day of Remembrance events in Boulder and Fort Collins.