Today is "Transgender Day of Remembrance"

    Thursday, 20 November 2025 06:00

    By Tonya Organ

    The day started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who had been killed the year before.

    This is Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual event to honour the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. The day started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who had been killed the year before. Smith is  quoted as saying, “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 fight for justice.”  

    Quinn Jesso is with the Corner Brook-Bay of Islands Pride Committee. She says we are all part of the same community and transgender violence is here but people are not talking about it. Jesso says as much as people come forward there is still a lot of work to do as a community. Jesso says feeling safe always depends on the circle she is in at the time. 

     

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