LGBTQ+ Filipinos remember trans people we have lost
Transgender Day of Remembrance aims to honor transgender persons who have lost their lives through hate and violence
Annually, the world observes Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) on 20 November, especially the LGBTQ+ community.
According to ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, TDoR “honors the memory of the trans and gender-diverse people whose lives were lost in acts of antitransgender violence.”
“TDoR is not only a day for us to pause to remember those we have lost, but also as a reminder to end the stigma surrounding the community and stand up for our trans siblings as they earn the rights as much as other members in the community,” they added.
The network of LGBTQ+ advocates in Southeast Asia further said, “It’s never been more important to stand shoulder to shoulder with our trans siblings and show real allyship and solidarity. None of us is free until all of us are free.”
TDoR started in the United States in 1999 when a small group memorialized the murder of transgender woman
Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. The following years, the observance grew. The most common practice of the occasion is the reading of the names of transgender people who have been killed to remember and honor them.
TDoR has been observed in the Philippines by LGBTQ+ groups and individuals.
LakanBini Advocates Pilipinas, Inc. said that they were “reminded to intensify efforts to ensure that trans and gender-diverse people are protected. Correspondingly, we echo the passage of safeguarding laws such as the SOGIESC Bill/Anti-Discrimination Bill.”
The group also urged “to light a
candle, say their names, and most importantly, take action.”
LGBTQ+ health and HIV/AIDS awareness organization LoveYourself, Inc., which has a program on transgender health and wellbeing called TRANScend by LoveYourself, commemorated TDoR with the LGBTQ+ community in Napindan, Taguig City. A TDoR segment was included in the Dyosa ng Napindan pageant.
Transgender group Pioneer Filipino Transgender Men Movement or PioneerFTM, in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, conducted a series of online conversations in
observance of TDoR from 15 to 19 November 2022. The sessions were “Transgender Identities and Rights 101,” “Transgender Situationer in Educational Institutions,’ Transgender Health and Wellbeing,” “Legal Gender Recognition,” and “Safety and Security Highlighting Hate Crimes and AntiTransgender Violence.”
Supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, CHR, through the Human Rights Education and Promotion Office and the Center for Gender Equality and Human Rights, and PioneerFTM also organized a vigil at the Liwasang Diokno of CHR.
LGBTQ+ advocates attended the event, and 327 names of trans people who were killed were read out loud.
“The candle lighting was also a symbol to continue the fight for equality and to resist bigotry,” CHR said.
The vigil also included the launch of the campaign “No More Missing Out,” which aims to remember lives lost because of violence.
“We light a candle in honor of all our trans siblings we lost due to anti-trans violence. We will always remember your names. In remembering, we will continue to resist bigotry and transphobia until we achieve justice and freedom for all trans lives,” said UP (University of the Philippines) Babaylan, one of the attendees.
“As we celebrate the Trans Day of Remembrance, we honor the trans+ community, especially those whose lives were victim to transphobia and anti-trans violence,” they added. “May this day shed light on the hardships and obstacles the transgender community experiences — unsafe spaces and hate crimes borne out of cissexist beliefs. More than that, let this empower us to continue lobbying for a national legislation that would end trans exclusion and SOGIESC-based discrimination.”