Canada is commemorating Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) today to honour the lives lost to transphobia and anti-transgender violence.
TDOR is an annual observance worldwide on Nov. 20. It was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998, according to not-for-proft 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD.
“The vigil commemorated 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,” GLAAD says on its website.
Transgender communities in Canada, in particular transgender people of colour, face some of the highest rates of violence crime, with 70 per cent of trans youth experiencing some form of sexual harassment or violence, according to Women and Gender Equality Canada.
“Impacts of this situation on mental health cannot be ignored. In fact, transgender and non-binary youth are more than twice as likely to have thought of self-harm in their lifetime compared to those who are cisgender (a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth),” Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien said in a statement on Monday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on X saying on this day Canadians should recommit to “making sure that everyone can be who they are – openly and proudly, without fear.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also posted a statement saying that Two-spirit, trans and non-binary communities continue to experience high rates of violence and discrimination in the city.
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“Today, we acknowledge the deep struggles as well as the inspiring determination and courage of trans people to be their full selves in a world that refuses to understand them. We denounce the anti-trans rallies that took place recently in our city and province and firmly reject any form of discrimination and hate against our young trans residents and all trans people,” she wrote on Monday.
The 519, a 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy group in Toronto, is commemorating the 24th anniversary of TDOR at Barbara Park with free performances, a candlelight vigil and a meal. Doors open at 6 p.m, with the ceremony slated to start at 6:30 p.m. There’s also a virtual option to attend via Eventbrite. More information can be found here.
