November 20th is a day that brings communities together to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance.
First honoured in the United States in 1999, transgender woman Gwendolyn Ann Smith held a memorial in Massachussets to mark the murder of another transgender woman; Rita Hester.
The day of honour has grown to an international scale over the last two decades to become an annual observance to lift up the memories of transgender and gender diverse people around the world who are lost to violence.
It has become tradition to read aloud the known names of those transgender people whose lives were lost in the last year, in order to respect their memory and call attention to the inordinate number of lost transgender lives.
Vigils will be held across Australia today, including here in Perth, where the community is invited to gather at the AIDS Memorial in Robertson Park North Perth.
There will be a reading, and a time of silent acknowledgement and reflection – as well as an opportunity to speak. The event is organised by TransFolk of WA and supported by the City of Vincent.
Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held in Robertson Part from 5:30pm. For more information head to Facebook.
OIP Staff
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If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 and www.beyondblue.org.au
QLife: 1800 184 527 and www.qlife.org.au
QLife are a counselling and referral service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.
