It is once again Trans Day of Remembrance, and today we remember and honor the lives of Trans and gender-diverse people who we have lost over the last year, particularly to state and transphobic violence. Trans Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 to memorialize the life of Rita Hester, a Black Trans woman who lived in Massachusetts, and was last seen alive at a neighborhood club and died in mid-November 1998. According to HRC’s annual report, so far in 2022, at least 32 Trans and gender-nonconforming people have been murdered; 81% were people of color, and 59% were Black. Trans women were disproportionately represented in that number, making up 81% of the deaths recorded at the time of publication. Trans people continue to be erased, experience violence, and be pushed aside and away from society, while the contributions of Trans people are co-opted and capitalized upon. On this day and every day, we must push forward towards a world that fully holds, loves, and honors the divinity in and dignity of all every one of us, while also lifting up the memories of the ones who did not make it this far. We love and miss you, Pauli Murray, Dr. Marisa Richmond, Sylvester, Crystal LaBeija, Monica Roberts, Marsha P. Johnson, Alexander John Goodrum, Tiffany Banks, Semaj Billingslea, Nedra Sequence Morris, Dede Ricks and so many more. "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." – Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith #tdor2022 #tdor