Pacific Index

Pacific’s Delta Chi Delta holds a ceremony to remember those lost to anti-transgender violence

   Amidst the soft glow of candlelight, hundreds of name cards sit in rows across all tables and flat surfaces in Pacific University’s Boxer Pause room. These are not name tags for those present at this banquet, but the names, ages, and causes of death of all of the transgender people who were murdered over the past year through anti-transgender acts of violence.

   Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is a day to honor transgender people whose lives were lost in anti-transgender violence. TDOR was started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Anne Smith in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. TDOR has been celebrated on November 20 every year since then. 

   Pacific University’s Diaternity, Delta Chi Delta, has carried on this tradition through a student-run banquet on TDOR. Each year, Delta Chi Delta prints out placards with the names, ages, and causes of death of all of the transgender people who died of anti-transgender violence in the past year. The number of deaths this year is predicted to be close to 400. Delta Chi Delta was tasked with printing over 300 placards for this year’s banquet. The set-up process for the banquet ran late due to the time spent finding enough surfaces to place all the placards. 

   This ceremonial display is a reminder of the impact of anti-transgender violence, outlining the importance of TDOR as a day to recognize those lost and to advocate for change. Delta Chi Delta President speaks on the significance of TDOR, saying, “There’re so many people whose names don’t show up on their graves the way that they would want them to, and there are people buried in the wrong clothes, and that’s wrong. I like to think of Trans Day of Remembrance as a day you can be recognized for who you really were, regardless of whether or not you were (recognized) at your official funeral.” TDOR is a chance for individuals to be recognized for who they identified as, not who they were assigned. It is a heartbreaking truth that these individuals lived years unaccepted for who they were, and only in death are they recognized as who they wanted to be. 

   Transgender Day of Remembrance is a solemn reminder of the disproportionate struggle shared amongst Transgender people all over the globe and the constant battle for equity and acceptance. Through events like this, we honor the people lost, and we acknowledge their identities and struggles.