Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil

The Wilkes University Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is honored to host the NEPA community Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil on Wednesday, November 20th in the JPAC at 7:00. The event is free and open to everyone.

Local organizers and community members are coming together for the fifth annual NEPA Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday, November 20th at 7pm to honor the lives of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people who died by violence in the United States in the past year.

Our event will highlight the local trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive community, feature speakers from the community and local organizations, and conclude with a reading of names of trans individuals who died by violence this year. We invite all LGBTQ+ folks and allies in NEPA who are looking for a safe and welcoming space to be in grief and community with one another to join us in honoring those we’ve lost. A resource table for trans, nonbinary, and queer folks in need will also be available.

We will be gathering in the Jean and Paul Adams Commons room on the second floor of the Wilkes University Henry Student Center. 84 W. South Street, Wilkes-Barre PA.

The first Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil was observed on November 20th 1999 to memorialize Rita Hester, an out black trans woman who was murdered in her own home in Boston in November of 1998 during a time of rising violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. Transgender Day of Remembrance vigils are now held annually all across the United States and the world on November 20th, the anniversary of the death of another black trans woman who was murdered in the Boston area in 1995, Chanelle Pickett. According to the Trans Remembrance Project, “the purpose of TDOR is to ensure that the lives and deaths of trans people would be honored and recognized with dignity and respect.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance. 43 transgender people died by violence this year in the United States. 50% of those lost to violence this year were black trans women, who are disproportionately impacted by transphobic attacks. 86% of deaths by violence this year were perpetrated against black and indigenous people of color.

Our vigil, Transgender Day of Remembrance NEPA, was founded in November 2020 by local organizer Nikki Berlew and is held annually with the support of community organizers, activists, and friends. This year’s event is co-sponsored by the Rainbow Alliance, Queer NEPA, NEPA Stands Up, The PA Coalition for Trans Youth, Action Together NEPA, In This Together NEPA, and the Wilkes GSA.

Contact Helen Davis with any questions: helen.davis@wilkes.edu