Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was begun by transgender graphic designer and advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was brutally stabbed in her Massachusetts apartment in 1998. No one has ever been arrested for the crime. An annual candlelight vigil commemorates the death of Hest and all transgender people lost to violence.
See a full list of Transgender Day of Remembrance events after the jump!
All events are on Wednesday, Nov. 20 unless otherwise specified.
Orlando
The Zebra Coalition will have a candlelight vigil from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Zebra Coalition House, 911 N Mills Ave.
The University of Central Florida will hold its annual candlelight vigil from 6 to 9 p.m. on campus, 4000 Central Florida Blvd. at the Reflection Pond. There will be a reading of the names of all 2013 victims of anti-transgender violence in the last year.
The Gay Student Alliance of the Valencia College East Campus will have a panel discussion from 6 to 8 p.m. on campus at 701 N Econlockhatchee Trail, Building 5, Room 112. A candle light vigil will follow in the mall area.
Deland
Stetson University will hold a cermony on West Minnesota Avenue from 6:00 PM to 7:30 p.m.
St. Petersburg
Trans*Action Florida, Inc. will have a candlelight vigil at 7 pm at St. Petersburg City Hall, 175 Fifth Street N.
Tampa
P.R.I.D.E. & T.S.U will host a ceremony at USF Marshall Center at Crescent Hill Thursday, Nov. 21 from 7 – 9 p.m.
MCC Tampa will commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance Sunday, Nov. 24 during services beginning at 10:30am. 408 E. Cayuga Street, Tampa, FL 33603.
Clearwater
The Unity Church of Clearwater will have its candlelight vigil and event from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 2465 Nursery Road.
“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.” — Gwendolyn Ann Smith
Did we forget any events? Let us know in the comments!
