#rita hester

Today marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, designated to honor transgender and gender non-conforming people who have been lost to anti-LGBTQ violence. ❤️ 

The honorary day was created by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999 after Rita Hester, a transgender woman, was murdered in 1998. 

At least 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people ― the overwhelming majority of whom are Black transgender women ― have been killed in the U.S. in 2019 according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. 

Today we share their names and honor them. Learn their stories here.

believe-out-loud:

[The terminology in this image is historic but not currently accurate.] 

We remember today the victims of anti-transgender prejudice and violence as we observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). 

TDOR began as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. Hester is featured in this painting by Mary Button alongside an image of Jesus’ crucifixion and a news photo of an early TDOR vigil. The term “transgenders” is most commonly replaced today by “transgender people.”

Related: 

• Courage To Connect: Observing The Transgender Day Of Remembrance
• 10 Things Churches Should Know About Transgender Day Of Remembrance
• Our Lives Are Valuable

Image created by Mary Button for the Stations of the Cross: The Struggle for LGBT Equality.

Rita Hester (1963-1998) || 20/11/19

Today is Trans Day of Remembrance, a day to honour all those who have lost their lives to transphobic violence and discrimination.

The murder of Rita Hester in her own apartment, two days before her 35th birthday, inspired the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and the TDoR.

If listening to people describe Rita Hester is even a fraction as pleasurable as it was to be around her, then she must have been a phenomenon.

Rev. Monroe describes her as “ebullient, glamorous, and a ‘sister-diva-friend’ with attitude, sassiness, and style.”

“I wasn’t a close friend of Rita’s but knew her like one knows folks in the community where you laugh and lollygag and play catch-up with them,” she told The Daily Beast.

Hester was a rock and roll musician and a performer who danced at venues like Jacque’s Cabaret. At the time of her death, she had been out as a woman for several years. She was well established in the community, a beloved and ubiquitous Boston presence. Everyone knew Rita and vice versa.

       — the Daily Beast

331 trans people have been reported murdered worldwide, this year. The real number is estimated to be higher. 

One of the several ways TDoR can be observed is by supporting trans rights organisations. If, like me, you live in Ireland, check out TENI - the Trans Equality Network Ireland. This organisation is ‘dedicated to ending transphobia, including stigma, discrimination and inequality and continues in the struggle for social, political and legal recognition of trans people in Ireland.’

Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living.