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2021 ELECTION SLATE

transgender-day-of-remembrance-tdor smWritten by Teagan Widmer
 
"I turned 26 years old this past September. I have outlived the majority of trans women."
 
Let that sink in for a moment.
 
Over the last twelve months, there have been a reported 226 killings of trans people. That number includes 113 murdered trans people in Brazil, 31 in Mexico, and 10 in the United States. All told during 2014 a trans person was murdered every 1.6 days. That is an incredibly sobering statistic.
 
Every November 20th we take a moment to stop and remember those we have lost to transphobic violence on the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. All over there nation will be gatherings with one purpose: to remember those that the world would rather forget.
 
The first trans event I went as I started to come to terms with my own identity as a trans woman was a Trans Day of Remembrance. I sat there with a couple of friends I had made, tears coming down my face. For trans women (and particular trans women of color) who face the bulk of the violence, Trans Day of Remembrance is not just about remembering the dead, it’s a harsh reminder of our own mortality. For those of us who live on, every November 20th is a foreshadowing of the possible.
 
To be trans is to live in the shadow of death.
 
But for now, we live. And we remember those we have lost.
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