Why Do We Need Transgender Day Of Remembrance? Well...
Transgriot
By Monica Roberts
17 November 2009


http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-do-we-need-transgender-day-of.html


If you've been perusing my home blog and other transgender-themed blogs across the Internet recently, you may have noticed the TDOR acronym pop up, and wondered what it means.

TDOR stands for the Transgender Day of Remembrance. For the last eleven years, every November 20 we memorialize and call attention to the people we've lost due to anti-transgender hatred and prejudice.

I will put a burning candle for my avatar this Friday, November 20th in support of TDOR

What will you do?

Go the to rally.  Nothing beats having people live and in person.

I would like to go to a rally. But there aren't any where I live

I am alone

That's why I feel it is important for we at Susan's to hold vigil together

The closest one to me is in Eugene.  And I just don't have the gas to go, so I shall also burn a candle on the 20^th.



Janet

So Portland can have the largest naked bike ride in the US, but no DoR?  Interesting.

Checked the website and only Eugene is listed.  I was surprised myself.



Janet

I'm going to one in Phoenix, AZ. There may also be one in Tucson, AZ although I'm not sure. We are having ours on Nov. 22.

http://www.azdor.org/

Quote from: Virginia Marie on November 17, 2009, 08:21:48 PM
I will put a burning candle for my avatar this Friday, November 20th in support of TDOR

What will you do?

I tend to burn some incense for Kybele and Hermaphroditos.

i am going to go out dressed as jessica and im not working a post for security for the city and county of denver we are supposed to work that day as i am a denver sheriff i will take a personal day and find a rememberance day event to participate in
jessica

Going to local rally in Eureka, Ca.!


Dawn

Hot Damn.  We have one @PSU at 6 PM.  And I am going.



Janet

So Eureka - population 26K - has a DoR, and Portland, with a gay mayor (or at least he was, I think there was something about underage boys) and a population of over 557K does not. 

My ex is forever going on about how 'hip' Portland is - and I was there for the Naked Bike Ride, and that was pretty cool.  But it seems like a kind of BB of hip surrounded by white trash on meth.  What other town has an entire section called 'felony flats"?

There was one held here in Chicago last weekend that I attended.

I was moved to tears to hear the names of the dead and a bell rung for each.

The keynote speaker in her dedication to those that have passed said that they did not expect to be on that list this year.  And went on to say that there are those in the audience that could be on the list next year.

Violence, hate, and bigotry know no bounds or boundaries.  We are all at risk.  All of us.

I have made many, many friends both online and in real life who, like myself, carry this terrible blessing inside a curse, whose loss would devastate me.  I pray that I never have to extinguish a candle when the name of one of my dearest is read.  And I pray that you never have to extinguish mine.

But prayer is all the safety we have.

-Sandy

I went last year when I was only in the crossdressing stage not knowing or admitting to myself that I really am transgendered. I was one of the people who went up to the microphone and read off a name. I could not keep the tears back afterward. Anyway, I am going this year dressed as my preferred gender.

Additionally, I have decided that I will be going "fully dressed" which means I will be open carrying a firearm on my side. I can't speak for any of the others who may be present, but I have decided that I personally will no longer tolerate violence against transgendered individuals. These events are certainly not armed gatherings but I think it is high time that this message be sent. There are a lot of hate-filled individuals out there and there is likely to be only one or two police officers present. I don't expect there to be trouble but at the same time the other dozens of transgender people recently murdered in the past year or two didn't think so either.

I believe that these events are extremely important to bring awareness to the public about the issues of hate crimes but I also believe that action needs to be taken. Unless there are a lot of police/security present, I will make it a point to be one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave. We need to start protecting ourselves and this is part of the message that will be sent. My permit will override any "no weapons" signs that may be present in the park we are having this at anyway.

Like others here, I don't want to find out about a friend, loved one, or even acquaintance who turns out to be another tragic victim. I read of a case where a transgender person in some other city than Phoenix had been brutally beaten after simply leaving a TDOR. These things force me to take this stuff really seriously. I'm getting so sick of this that if I ever see a person physically assault any trans person anywhere, I am personally putting them under citizen's arrest. We have got to put a stop to this sickness.

hey britt i now of at least 3 officers in denver who transitioned and you can believe we will be armed at that event and i will be in dress as jessica i am required to carry a side arm off duty as all officers are in colorado mine will be in a shoulder holster which will be visable under my jacket i want the haters to feel its presence. i do not embrace violence but i will not tolerate hate against a transperson in my presence normally i might deploy a taser but on the 20 i will deploy a bullet if it comes to that.
jessica

What is sad is that this is what it seems to come to. Anyway, I'll update you all after the event tomorrow. I hope it will be a good turnout. Last year's was. The best turnout of course would be the day where we no longer have to hold these events.

What i would like to hear about is how these memorials were done.  Was there prayer?  What type of speakers?  Were the names of our honored dead read from every country, or only from the US?

I want to push to have a TDoR here in the Rochester, NY area next year.  I will look at your comments and thoughts to help put such a memorial together.

Thanks!

We had several speakers, some were trans and spoke of their experiences, some were not.  One was lesbian and she spoke of how she was there for the signing of the Shepard/Byrd bill.

The reading was of those who were lost this year from around the world, and then a moment of silence.  Then we had a couple of transmen as entertainers, who were quite good even though their were rappers.



Janet

I didn't have somewhere to go. I was alone.

I said my piece alone with no-one to hear or love me. I was alone