TDoR SF 2023 Press Release

Transgender Day of Remembrance Commemoration to be Led by Coalition of Trans Organizations in SF

San Francisco Transgender Day of Remembrance 2023 will begin at the steps of SF City Hall at 5:30PM with opening remarks by community leaders. The crowd will then march to the SF LGBT Center for a Program at 7:00PM led by community members and organizers, featuring artists paying homage to those we have lost this year.

“TDOR is an opportunity for our communities to process the immense grief that comes with our existence. Every year, we see more of our chosen family disappear - and there is no justice - how does one cope with that? TDOR gives us the tools to gather together & work towards healing - for our communities, and for the world at large.” - TDOR Committee

This Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), the transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex and 2-spirit (TGNCI2S) communities of San Francisco come together to honor those that have passed this year.

As TGNCI2S people all over the world continue to experience high levels of harassment, discrimination, and fatal violence, we must continue to fight for the safety and dignity of our communities.

Since last TDOR, reportedly 392 trans, nonbinary and/or gender nonconforming people worldwide have died due to violence, suicide, or unknown causes. Of those, 25 were people living in the United States. We say their names:

London Price, 26. Lisa Love, 35. Domonic Dupree, 25. A’nee Johnson, 30. Sherlyn Marjorie, 35. Chyna Long, 30. Luis Ángel Díaz Castro, 22. YOKO, age unknown. Thomas ‘Tom-Tom’ Robertson, 28. DéVonnie J’Rae Johnson, 28. Camdyn Rider, 21. Jacob Williamson, 18. Chanell Perez Ortiz, 29. Ashia Davis, 34. Banko Brown, 24. KoKo Da Doll, 35. Ashley Burton, 37. Ta’Siyah Woodland, age unknown. Tortuguita, 26. Chashay Ashanti Henderson, 31. Maria Jose Rivera Rivera, 22. Zachee Imanitwitaho, age unknown. Unique Banks, 21. KC Johnson, 27. Jasmine ‘Star’ Mack, 36

We acknowledge that the number of recorded violent deaths in our communities is likely to be an underestimation, since oftentimes cases of violence and harassment against TGNCI2s communities goes unreported. We also acknowledge that this number does not account for those in our communities that lost their lives due to inequitable access to resources and support, with transphobia as an underlying root cause. Additionally, we acknowledge that violence and harassment due to transphobia in our communities disproportionately affect Black transgender women. Lastly, we stand with transmasculine individuals of color, whose experiences often go unrecognized.

“Allyship is more than just showing up at rallies and protests, more than just saying oh I have a trans friend, sibling, cousin, more than just knowing my pronouns and preferred name, more than a policy that passed and signed off by your local city officials, allyship means respect, being accountable and doing your inner work to be a better human being in every moment you.”

In 2018, a study conducted by The Williams Institute found that transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime^¹. According to the study, one in four transgender women who were victimized thought the incident was a hate crime.

The Human Rights Campaign noted that of all fatal incidents of violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2023, 83% of victims were people of color and 54% were Black transgender women^².

We mourn and celebrate the lives we lost this year, and fight for those who are alive. We invite San Francisco community members to join us on this Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20th 2023, at the steps of SF City Hall 5:30PM, and help us dream of a world where members of our community are safe, loved & empowered.

As a committee, we would like to note that the liberation of the TGNCI2S communities goes hand-in-hand with the liberation of all people, because no one is free until all of us are free. We dream of a world where trans people are free, and where all people are liberated from occupying settler colonial forces. We believe in a free Palestine, free Haiti, free Congo, free Philippines, free Hawai’i: we believe in the collective liberation of all people, everywhere. As we mourn the loss of our trans community members this year, we remember that our struggles are interconnected and inseparable.

Thus, our communities, the SF TGNCI2S communities of San Francisco, call for a ceasefire in the Gaza strip. We urge our elected officials, lawmakers, and legislative bodies, to sign on to the petition started by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, that calls for a #ceasefirenow.

Health & Safety: Masks are recommended. If you currently have COVID–19/Monkeypox symptoms, tested positive, or have been around anyone who tested positive for COVID-19/Monkeypox, we ask that you not attend this event, however the event will be livestreamed via link provided on our Facebook Event Page.

Accessibility: The SF LGBT Center is wheelchair accessible, and in proximity to several nearby public transportation stops. There will be ASL as well as Spanish Translation via headset, with more language options provided online.

For more information or individual interviews/statement requests please contact

1thisisloyal.com, Loyal |. “Transgender People over Four Times More Likely than Cisgender People to Be Victims of Violent Crime.” Williams Institute, 21 Dec. 2022, williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-trans-press-release/.

2 HRC Foundation. “Fatal Violence against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2022.” Human Rights Campaign, 2022, www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2022.