Blog post -

NCC Conversations: Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, is an annual observance that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

TDoR is not an event we 'celebrate', but a day in which we mourn our losses and reinforce our bonds with our trans and non-binary friends; family; colleagues; neighbours; acquaintances; and those who live their lives in our spaces.

NCC Group, of which I’m part of, is on the ever evolving journey of ‘making the world safer and more secure’, not only within cyber, but also for people. To help achieve this, NCC Group recently committed to an inclusion and diversity programme led by volunteers, minority groups and allies to drive changes both internally and externally.

I'm Liz James, I'm transgender and I'm Chair of the LGBTQIA+ steering group.

Today is not about me, not about NCC, and I'm not here to campaign for self-ID, better funding for transgender health care or the legal recognition of non-binary identities (that's for the future). Today I'm here to pay my respects to my trans siblings around the world who are sadly no longer with us.

Today I ask you to reflect upon the following facts, that in 2021 (https://transrespect.org/en/tm...):

  • 375 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered, 7% more than in the TMM update 2020;
  • Cases from Greece, Kazakhstan, and Malawi were reported for the first time;
  • 96% of those murdered globally were trans women or transfeminine people;
  • 58% of murdered trans people whose occupation is known were sex workers;
  • Murders of trans people in the United States have doubled from last year; people of colour make up 89% of the 53 trans people murdered;
  • 43% of the trans people murdered in Europe were migrants;
  • 70% of all the murders registered happened in Central and South America; 33% in Brazil;
  • 36% of the murders took place on the street and 24% in their own residence;
  • The average age of those murdered is 30 years old; the youngest being 13 years old and the oldest 68 years old.

In the United Kingdom the number of reported transphobic hate crimes quadrupled over the past five years (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-54486122) with significant differences between incidents that occur and those that are officially reported (https://www.report-it.org.uk/files/trans-report-interactive.pdf). Anecdotally the shift in public perception, which in my opinion has caused such a sharp increase in transphobic hate crimes, has led to my LGBTQIA+ friends being increasingly cautious when entering public spaces and the realisation that I personally would not have transitioned in the current climate - a realisation that has been deeply saddening

I regularly get asked by friends, family and colleagues how they can help and begin to make the world a safer place for everyone. Asking the occasional question is often the best place to start, however on days like today LGBTQIA+ communities are in mourning so please understand and recognise that we may not be in the position to educate and inform.

If you desire to help out please consider supporting local LGBTQIA+ organisations by:

- Attending your local TDoR vigil

- Attending events in our new Equality and Inclusion calendar

- Get involved in other events: ask questions; help organise events and encourage others to do the same

- Use your newly acquired knowledge to challenge misconceptions and stigma

- Making donations to grassroots LGBTQIA+ charities and support programmes

https://www.glaad.org/tdor

https://transrespect.org/en/tmm-update-tdor-2020/

https://tgeu.org/tdor/

Topics

  • Consulting

Categories

  • inclusion and diversity
  • lgbtqia+

Contacts

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