November is the time for education, awareness, and celebrating the trans community.
2022 Trans Awareness Month Events
Transgender Day of Remembrance
After a Massachusetts jury acquitted William Palmer for the murder of Chanelle Pickett, a 23-year old black transgender woman who was killed Nov. 20, 1995, Rita Hester, 35, was found murdered in her apartment in Allston on Nov. 28, 1998.
Rita Hester’s murder inspired San Francisco-based transgender activist Gwen Smith to create the Remembering Our Dead web project for murdered transgender and gender-nonconforming people. In 1999, Smith created the first Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) on November 20th memorializes individuals who have died throughout the world in the previous year because of anti-transgender hatred. Each November, the worldwide transgender community turns its attention to family, friends and loved ones lost to violence and prejudice. This day has become the worldwide rallying point for a community long under siege.
To have your TDOR event listed, please send all information to calendar@masstpc.org.
Chanelle Pickett and Rita Hester
Trans Awareness Week & Month
Dedicated to education about transgender communities and important issues facing trans people in Massachusetts, the month of November features events and educational opportunities statewide, hosted by MTPC and other organizations and community groups. It culminates with the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a worldwide gathering of trans and allied communities to memorialize victims of anti-trans hatred or prejudice.
MTPC encourages community members to suggest and plan events. To have your Trans Awareness event or educational opportunity listed, please email calendar@masstpc.org or call (617) 778-0519. Let us know what you are planning!
Examples of events your group or organization could hold:
- Transgender Movie Screening
- Book Discussion of Trans-Themed Book
- Hold a Panel Discussion with Local Trans Speakers
- Trans Themed Art Show or Performance
- Hold a Book drive for Prisoner Book Project — collect trans related books, soft cover only
No one should be subjected to violence simply because of their gender identity or expression. No one should be denied the basic rights that enable their safety and security. No one should consider taking their own life to escape harassment and bullying.
