On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the world pauses to remember the lives of the many transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons killed in acts of targeted, transphobic violence. On every continent, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons confront violence, harassment, and discrimination that shock the conscience, simply based on their gender identity or expression. We at Queer News Tonight mourn the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons who have paid the ultimate price for others’ hatred. The week of November 13th through 19th is Transgender awareness week, leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDoR. After 3 transgender women of color: Rita Hester, Chanelle Pickett, and Monique Thomas, were murdered in the Boston area of Massachusetts’s in 1998, the local community wanted a way to honor them. They choose November 20th, 1999, the anniversary of the death of Chanelle Pickett, as the first Transgender Day of Remembrance.
