I only learned today was the Transgender Day of Remembrance this afternoon. As usual, the Human Rights Campaign sums it up best:

November 20 is recognized as the national Transgender Day of Remembrance – an opportunity for communities to come together and mark the passing of transgender or those perceived to be transgender individuals who have been murdered because of hate.

Wikipedia further informed me that the national (or possibly international?) holiday was started to honor Rita Hester who was murdered in my old hometown of Allston, Massachusetts in 1998.

If you’re curious a bit more about the holiday, I highly recommend watching some of the videos from an article in the Huffington Post about the Transgender Day of Remembrance: 20 Trans Pioneers.

International events and marches in honor of the Transgender day of Remembrance can be found online at transgenderdor.org.