Each year on November 20, communities across the country gather to honor and memorialize transgender people who have been killed by acts of anti-transgender violence.
In 2024, at least 28 transgender Americans died as a result of anti-transgender violence, including Kassim Omar, a 29-year-old Black trans woman who fled to the United States as a refugee in 2015.
Across Ohio, LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations are set to host more than a dozen community-centered events to mark Trans Day of Remembrance – including candlelight vigils, high profile keynote speakers and free self-defense and first aid classes.
“This year my community is facing threats of genocide, forced detransition, laws and policies that deprive and devalue our basic human rights, and daily – we stand against a life or death struggle just to hold on to our identities,” said Felicia DeRosa, a longtime transgender organizer who founded the Columbus-based support group T-Talks.
“This year we not only mourn the nearly 400 estimated losses (worldwide) in our community, but also the many threats we are facing under the new administration,” she said, encouraging LGBTQ+ and their allies to attend Columbus Transgender Day of Remembrance at King Avenue United Methodist Church (UMC):
“We are sad, but we are angry and we are pushing back.” 🔥
(Map by Ben Jodway)
IGNITE action
- To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
- To find contact information for your Ohio state representative, click here.
- To find contact information for your Ohio senator, click here.
- If you are a young LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
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