The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is an annual observance on November 20th of every year that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. To remember until we all are accepted for just being us, human beings.
The 20th of November each year is a very solemn reminder of that. I write about this every year, and participate in an observance every November 20th at Circle Sanctuary. This year, again, it will be online.
What is the Transgender Day of Remembrance? Quoted from Wikipedia:
“The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed on November 28, 1998. The vigil commemorates all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.”
This year is the 24th anniversary of TDoR.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender 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.”
Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith
The data is collected from the first day of October to the last day of September each year. That way the data is accurate for the vigil on November 20th of each year. I want to publicly thank Anna-Jayne Metcalfe of TransLivesMatter and Kelli Anne Busey of PlanetTrans for their hard work collecting all of this data.
Unfortunately this year one of my good friends, Mika Ellen Orzech passed from this life on January 25th. She started Trans Violence News on Facebook many years ago and was one of my sources for what I’ve reported on these posts. I wrote a memorial blog article about her. You can read it here.
This reporting period there were 389 reported deaths of transgender people worldwide. Only the deaths that are reported are used. There are many, many more that go unreported each year.
Range October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022
Data is from TransLivesMatter
Argentina: 10
Australia: 1
Bangladesh: 2
Bolivia: 1
Brazil: 107
Burkina Faso: 1
Cambodia: 1
Canada: 3
Chile: 3
China: 1
Columbia: 29
Ecuador: 12
El Salvador: 2
Estonia: 1
France: 7
Georgia: 1
Germany: 2
Guatemala: 5
Honduras: 3
India: 15
Indonesia: 2
Iran: 1
Iraq: 1
Israel: 1
Italy: 5
Mexico: 50
Moldova: 1
Netherlands: 1
Pakistan: 22
Panama: 1
Paraguay: 1
Peru: 3
Philippines: 3
Spain: 1
Sweden: 1
Thailand: 2
Turkey: 5
United Kingdom: 8
Uruguay: 1
United States: 69
Venezuela: 2
USA Deaths: 69
Royal Poetical Starz, age 26, shot in Miami Gardens, Florida on 2 Oct 2021
El Cho, age 30, remains found in Yucca Valley, California on 9 Oct 2021
Mel Robert Groves, age 25, shot in Jackson, Mississippi on 11 Oct 2021
Tayda Lebo’n, no age given, suicide in New York, NY on 14 Oct 2021
Keeva Scatter, age 34, shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on 15 Oct 2021
Jessi Hart, age 42, murdered in Banks, Oregon on 17 Oct 2021
Jo Acker, age 26, shot in Boise, Idaho on 25 Oct 2021
Joey Spencer (“JoJo”), age 30, suicide in Mount Airy, North Carolina on 27 Oct 2021
Rickey Outumuro (“Tru Scarlet”), age 39, shot in Centrailia, Washington on 31 Oct 2021
Jenny DeLeon, age 25, murdered in Tampa, Florida on 2 Nov 2021
Marguiisha Lawrence, age 28, shot in Greenville, South Carolina on 4 Nov 2021
Danyale Johnson, age 35, shot in Memphis, Tennessee on 7 Nov 2021
Angel Naira, age 36, shot in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania on 11 Nov 2021
Haley Gabriella Feldman, age 19, suicide in Beach, North Dakota on 12 Nov 2021
Nikai David, age 33, shot in Oakland, California on 3 Dec 2021
Martina Caldera, age 38, shot in Channelview, Texas on 6 Dec 2021
Za’niyah Williams, age 21, run over in Houston, Texas on 20 Dec 2021
Ke’Yahonna Stone, age 32, shot in Indianapolis, Indiana on 26 Dec 2021
Amelia Furniss Leonhart, age 22, suicide in Idaho Falls, Idaho on 30 Dec 2021
Nikki Turrietta, age 31, shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 31 Dec 2021
Amarey Lej (“Myara”), age 21, shot in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 2 Jan 2022
Duval Princess, age 24, homicide in Jacksonville, Florida on 2 Jan 2022
Destinee Lashaee/Matthew Ventress, age 29, suicide in Houston, Texas on 9 Feb 2022
Matthew Angelo Spampinato, age 21, run over in New Castle, Delaware on 9 Feb 2022
Naomie Skinner, age 25, shot in Highland Park, Michigan on 12 Feb 2022
Cypress Ramos, age 21, beaten to death in Lubbock, Texas on 13 Feb 2022
Paloma Vazquez, age 29, shot in Houston, Texas on 26 Feb 2022
Brent Wood, age 31, beaten to death in Seattle, Washington on 3 Mar 2022
Milo Winslow, age 30, suicide in Lincoln, Nebraska on 3 Mar 2022
Kathryn Newhouse, age 19, shot in Canton, Georgia on 9 Mar 2022
Elise Malary, age 31, drowned in Evanston, Illinois on 17 Mar 2022
Tatiana Labelle (“TeeTee’), age 33, murdered in Chicago, Illinois on 19 Mar 2022
Kesha Webster, age 24, murdered in Jackson, Mississippi on 26 Mar 2022
Kai Khan, age 18, suicide in Great Bend, Kansas on 27 Mar 2022
Miia Love Parker, no age given, shot in Chester, Pennsylvania on 1 Apr 2022
Ariyanna Mitchell, age 17, shot in Hampton, Virginia on 2 Apr 2022
Fern Feather, age 29, stabbed in Morristown, Vermont on 12 Spring 2022
Ace Scott, age 15, homicide in Kansas City, Missouri on 15 Apr 2022
Kenna Leigh Gillock, age 26, suicide in Gold Hill, Oregon on 17 Apr 2022
Asher Garcia, age 14, suicide in Frazee, Minnesota on 21 Apr 2022
Ray Muscat, age 24, shot in Independence, Township Michigan on 8 May 2022
Ruby Taverner, age 22, suicide in Independence Township, Michigan on 9 May 2022
Michelle S Tarrio, no age given, died during surgery in New York, NY on 10 May 2022
Sasha Mason, age 45, shot in Zebulon, North Carolina on 13 May 2022
Nedra Sequence Morris (“Sequence”), age 50, shot in Opa-Locka, Florida on 14 May 2022
Maddie Hoffman, age 47, shot in Malvern, Pennsylvania on 19 May 2022
Maddie Dickens, age 28, suicide in Roseville, Minnesota on 20 May 2022
DeeDee Hall, age 47, died in police custody in Dallas, Texas on 26 May 2022
Chanelika Y’Ella Dior Hemingway, age 30, murdered in Albany, New York on 31 May 2022
Rexy Que, age 26, suicide in Wichita, Kansas on 3 Jun 2022
Paris Rich, age 25, homicide in San Diego, California on 13 Jun 2022
Brazil Johnson, age 28, shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 15 Jun 2022
Shawmayne’ McClam, age 27, shot in Gulfport, Mississippi on 21 Jun 2022
Kitty Monroe, age unknown, shot in Memphis, Tennessee on 29 Jun 2022
Cherry Bush, age 48, shot in Los Angeles, California on 6 Jul 2022
Jasper Aaron Lynch, age 26, shot by police in McClean, Virginia on 7 Jul 2022
Jimmie “Jay” Lee, age 20, murdered in Lafayette County, Mississippi on 8 Jul 2022
Martasia Richmond, age 30, stabbed in Chicago, Illinois on 11 Jul 2022
Toi Davis, age 34, found dead “under suspicious circumstances” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 16 Jul 2022
Keshia Chanel Geter, age 26, shot in Augusta, Georgia on 20 Jul 2022
Hayden Nevah Davis, age 28, shot in Detroit, Michigan on 25 Jul 2022
Kamila Marie Swann (“DeeDee, Kandi Redd”), age 29, stabbed in Kansas City, Missouri on 25 Jul 2022
Marisela Castro, age 39, shot in Houston, Texas on 29 Jul 2022
Kimbella Kimble, age 21, died in police custody in Gulfport, Mississippi on 6 Aug 2022
Acey D Morrison, age 30, shot in Rapid City, South Dakota on 21 Aug 2022
Dede Ricks, age 33, shot in Detroit, Michigan on 27 Aug 2022
Regina Allen (“Mya”), age 35, shot in Milwaukee, WI on 29 Aug 2022
Semaj Sincere Billingslea, age 33, shot in Jacksonville, Florida on 21 Sep 2022
Serena Brenneman, age 16, suicide in Salem, Oregon on 24 Sep 2022
Transgender Day of Remembrance Ceremony
Join us on Sunday, November 20 at Noon Central Standard Time for an online ceremony honoring the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This ceremony will be facilitated by Rev. Selena Fox, Brianne Ravenwolf, and Rev. Jake Bradley and live-streamed to the Circle Sanctuary YouTube Channel.
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