Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. We host this event in order to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community as we work to build a world of respect and acceptance of all people.

The event will feature several speakers including Roxanne Green, the mother of Lateisha Green, the transgender woman who was murdered in Syracuse in 2008. Her killer was convicted and given a long sentence but an appellate court overturned the conviction and set the killer free in the summer of 2013. The case has been appealed to the highest court in the state of NY and we are waiting for the court’s decision which could come down at any time. We organized a demonstration on the courthouse steps in Albany last month and we filled the seats of the courtroom with trans folk during oral arguments.

Terri Cook will also be a speaker. She is  a mother, an Empire State Pride Agenda Board Member and member of Family Allies of Transgender Equality (FATE) Empire State Pride Agenda’s mission is to win equality and justice for LGBT New Yorkers and our families. We recognize that while significant cultural, legal and governmental advances have led to greater equality for LGBT New Yorkers, we and our families remain highly vulnerable without the vast majority of rights and protections that most New Yorkers take for granted. This event at ArtRage Gallery has been organized by the CNY Transgender Alliance.

Background of TDOR from GLAAD
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed in late November in recognition of the 1998 murder of Rita Hester. Rita was a highly visible member of the transgender community in her native Boston, where she worked locally on education around transgender issues. On Saturday, Nov 28, Rita was stabbed 20 times in her apartment. A neighbor called the police, and Rita was rushed to the hospital. She passed away from cardiac arrest only moments after being admitted. Thirteen years later, police have still not found Rita’s murderer (or murderers). In 1999, one year after Rita’s murder, advocate and writer Gwendolyn Ann Smith coordinated a vigil in Rita’s honor. The vigil commemorated not only Rita, but all who were tragically lost to anti-transgender violence.

Free to the Public