For many years, the trans community’s one event was a memorial service and while we now celebrate numerous aspects of trans lives, November 20th remains the trans community’s oldest community tradition.
What follows is the 2017 Remembrance Booklet produced by the Transgender Foundation of America’s TDOR data collection project:
Violence against trans people remains a defining aspect of trans lives and the Trans Day of Remembrance is our community’s opportunity to bear witness to end-result of the anti-trans hate trans people face, as a community.
Today you are encouraged to seek out others in the trans community and together, honor the memory of those we’ve lost this year as the result of anti-trans bias.
Cristan Williams is a trans historian and pioneer in addressing the practical needs of underserved communities. She started the first trans homeless shelter in Texas and co-founded the first federally funded housing-first homeless program, pioneered affordable health care for trans people in the Houston area, won the right for trans people to change their gender on Texas ID prior to surgery, started numerous trans social service programs and founded the Transgender Center as well as the Transgender Archives. She has published short stories, academic chapters and papers, and numerous articles for both print and digital magazines. She received numerous awards for her advocacy and has presented at universities throughout the nation, served on several governmental committees and CBO boards, is the Editor of the TransAdvocate, and is a founding board member of the Transgender Foundation of America and the Bee Busy Wellness Center.