Preparations for Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) in Boston have been underway since June. The day of remembrance is held annually on Nov. 20 to mourn, honor and reflect upon the lives of transgender and gender-nonconforming people who have been killed by transphobic violence, discrimination and systemic injustice. 

Since its founding in 1999 to memorialize Rita Hester, a trans woman who lived in Allston, Massachusetts, TDOR has involved a vigil. Over time, organizers have added new events and the commemoration has expanded in scope, from one day to two or three. 

This year, a Day of Action will take place  Nov. 19, the eve of TDOR. “It’s recognition of the work that community leaders are doing year-round as well as to raise awareness of why TDOR exists in the first place and of the violence and injustice that trans people face around the world,” says MG Xiong, an advocate for trans rights who serves as co-chair of the TDOR planning committee alongside Giselle Byrd, executive director of The Theater Offensive.

On Nov. 20, there will be the vigil, followed by a community dinner, and on Nov. 21, a day of fellowship, including a healing circle and The Theater Offensive’s staged reading of “Fly,” a new work based on Marvin K. White’s “nothin’ ugly fly.” There will also be a community ball (date to be announced).

“I think the ways in which we come together, especially in these times, where there’s so much division and hostility, is a joy in and of itself,” Xiong says. “There’s a lot of intentional community that we create. … TDOR is a way for people to be with one another, to show our love and show up for each other, rooted in community care and mutual aid.”

As a part of the planning committee, the newly formed remembrance subcommittee has been researching the names and stories of the trans community members who lost their lives. They have also been collecting volunteers to read the names aloud during the vigil that will take place on the eve of TDOR. The Committee is prioritizing a search for cisgender allies to read names during the ceremony.

“We want to call on that allyship to help us carry this very important but also emotionally heavy task,“ says trans activist and educator Mason Dunn, who leads the remembrance subcommittee.

Chastity Bowick, executive director of The Martha P. Johnson Institute, agrees that cisgender people should take on more of the labor involved in organizing and carrying out the events of TDOR.

“I think that what is not being talked about is the mental toll that it takes on trans organizers, organizing events for trans people who are murdered,” Bowick says. “As organizers, we don’t even get a chance or a second to take a breath to mourn ourselves, because we’re trying to put on this event with the larger community.”

Bowick added that a lack of funding and online persecution are two challenges that organizers face in planning for TDOR. “We don’t get any city or state funding for this event, which is something that needs to change. It puts a big toll [on us] and makes us have to work triple time to try to make this event happen.”

Last year, sponsorship from the Johnson Institute was instrumental to the event’s success, said Bowick. This year, major sponsors include The Theater Offensive and the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth. Xiong noted that creating a sustainable endowment to carry is a goal. 

“My hope,” says Dunn, “is that there won’t be a TDOR 2026 because we have not lost any trans or gender-expansive people because of hate, violence or bias. Unfortunately, I think that is a goal that I may never see in my lifetime, given the social and political climate globally and not just domestically. Trans and gender-expansive people will continue to sadly be marginalized and taken from us because of hate and violence. It’s just a reality. But every year, I work and hope for a future that is free from violence, free from bias, and beyond.”

More: masstpc.org

The 2025 TDOR planning committee, which started meeting weekly in August, is made up of 23 members from 14 trans- and queer-led organizations in the Bay State:

• The Theater Offensive
• MTPC
• MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth
• Chastity’s Consulting and Talent Group
• Fenway Health
• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
• The Network / La Red
• Massachusetts LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
• The Queer Neighborhood Council
• MassEquality
• Queer History Boston (formerly known as The History Project)
• HELP by AMG
• Boston Dyke March
• Boston’s Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement

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