Transgender Day of Remembrance 2023

Last week I had a conversation with a fellow queer therapist friend of mine about Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) and we processed the weight and complexity of today. No matter how we spent this day, the reality is that the transgender community faces a disproportionate amount of violence and violent death compared to non-LGBTQ individuals. Hate crimes against trans individuals are still often misreported, underreported, or not reported at all. 

TDoR founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith writes, "Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."

Last year for TDoR, Karen compiled a comprehensive list of support and advocacy resources that I recommend re-visiting today. You can also visit this site to see a full list of names to honor the lives lost this past year: https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/tdor2023?country=all&filter=&sortup=1&view=list

With full transparency, my heart weighs heavy and I am tired of grieving. 

My friend and I processed grief in all of its forms and reflected on what ours could look like today. Yes, today is TDoR but that doesn’t mean we have to honor the lives lost this past year from a position of grief. Instead, I’m encouraging you all to invite in trans joy, trans pleasure, trans celebration into your day today – not at the expense of your grief, but as a loving companion to it. 

In Grief and Joy,

Nick and Team Modern Path