By Pau Crego
Every year on November 20, people around the world commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) by coming together to mourn and remember the trans siblings who passed in the previous year. Since the last TDOR, reportedly 392 trans, nonbinary, and/or gender nonconforming people worldwide have died due to violence, suicide, or unknown causes. Of those, 25 were people living in the United States. Their names are:
The list above exemplifies the reason why trans communities need an annual day of remembrance: the loss of trans life every year is staggering. We know that these numbers are likely an underreporting of those lost to violence and suicide this past year. We also know that these numbers don’t include the many trans people who have passed away for other reasons, often stemming from violence and discrimination as root causes. For example, it is well documented that oppression results in worse physical health outcomes, and that trans communities have higher rates of substance use and other survival strategies as coping mechanisms for the injustices we face—all of which lead to a higher proportion of illnesses and death, compared to cisgender people.
These causes of death don’t affect all trans communities equally due to the compounding effects of multiple forms of discrimination, such as racism, anti-Blackness, misogyny, and xenophobia. As reported by the Human Rights Campaign, 88% of the 25 people listed here were people of color, and 52% were Black trans women. Additionally, all of them (the ones whose ages we know) were under 40 years old, a sobering reminder of the short life expectancy of trans communities. This is reflected in how many trans people view our lifespan due to the level of violence, discrimination, and consequent mental health issues we endure: I know that I never expected—and I hear this from many of my peers—to live this long. To my mid-30s.
Institutions like governments, health care systems, and schools are charged with caring for and protecting us. But we know that many of these across the country are instead intentionally targeting and attacking us. And even those that are not have failed us over and over again. We also know, because we hear it from our trans elders, that our collective efforts for greater justice and dignity for trans people have been successful. I often hear from trans elders that they couldn’t have ever imagined the opportunities that our community has access to now. And yet, it is not enough. We must absolutely do better.
Let us mourn, celebrate, and honor our trans siblings today. Tomorrow, we will continue the fight for justice and accountability from the systems that have harmed and neglected trans people. Tomorrow, we persist in working towards a world where trans people—especially Black trans people—are safe, cherished, and loved.
Pau Crego (he/him) is a queer and trans immigrant who has worked towards equity for trans and LGBTQI+ communities for almost two decades, both in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Spain, where he is originally from. His advocacy has included direct services, technical assistance, training and education, program design, and policy change. Crego is the Executive Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI), is a faculty member in the Health Education Department at City College of San Francisco, and is a published author and translator in the field of public health. For more information about the Office of Transgender Initiatives: https://tinyurl.com/4e3w6srd
Musings on Trans Liberation
Published on November 16, 2023
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