Saturday, November 20, 2021
Transgender Day of Remembrance
This coming Saturday, November 20th, 2021 marks the 6th annual Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil in Cobourg. In 2016, the Cobourg Police Service raised the trans flag at half-mast for the duration of the day and night, with a small candle light vigil following. Every year since then, the PFLAG CPHC and the Cobourg Queer Collective have observed the Transgender Day of Remembrance that honours those who have lost their lives in the past year due solely to gender-based violence and hate crimes.
This year, following the provincial COVID19 guidelines for outdoor gatherings, we will be organising a vigil and moment of silence during the afternoon of the 20th, as it is a Saturday. In the evening, we will be hosting a virtual vigil online that will be half an hour in length. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
TRANS AWARENESS WEEK NOV 14th – NOV 20th
Please follow our Facebook pages (links at the end of this press release) and share the posts that we will be posting this week for Trans Awareness Week.
Trans Awareness Week ends with the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
November 20, 2021 Agenda
1:30pm – 2pm Sign Making and Information Session in front of Victoria Hall.
TW/CW Names of the lives lost will be posted during the broadcast.
2PM Candlelight Vigil @ Victoria Hall
Walk through Downtown and through Victoria Park to the Gathering Place that is across from the Lions/Lioness Pavillion for a moment of silence.
7PM Virtual Candlelight Vigil
Facebook Live broadcast of a candle with sombre music playing in the background.
TW/CW Names of the lives lost will be posted during the broadcast.
Following Trans Awareness Week and the Transgender Day of Remembrance, there will be an open access webinar on:
Monday, November 22nd 2021
Ashley Bouman, Chapter Leader of the PFLAG CPHC and one of the co-founders of the Cobourg Queer Collective will be presenting her Pronoun Usage and Trans Advocacy in Northumberland webinar virtually at 7pm. This presentation is designed specifically for community service providers, local not-for-profits, and small businesses on how to create safer and inclusive spaces.
MORE INFORMATION:
HISTORY OF THE TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was held on November 20, 1999, organised by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans woman, to memorialise the murder of Rita Hester, an African American trans woman who was brutally murdered in her apartment on November 28, 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts. Her murder remains unsolved to this day, which is quite common in transgender-based murders.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) occurs annually on November 20th
and is a day to memorialise those that have been murdered as a result of transphobia, anti-transgender hatred and/or prejudice. This day is observed to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender and gender-diverse community. This is an important and ongoing issue of human rights regarding trans advocacy.
By 2010, the Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries.
Over the past decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate/prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives and sadly this type of violence shows no signs of stopping.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
