On 20th November, trans and queer communities across the country and the world came together to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance (also called TDOR). It’s a way for our community to grieve, mourn, and pay tribute to the 281 trans and gender diverse people murdered between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025, as outlined in The Trans Murder Monitoring 2025 report. Although there has been a decrease in the number of trans people being murdered this year, from 350 last year, anti-trans violence and rhetoric continue to be rampant globally.
TDOR was organised by trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999 as a vigil to remember the life of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was murdered in 1998. Since the first vigil was held in San Francisco in 1999, vigils for TDOR have been held every year in cities across the world. It’s held at the end of Transgender Awareness Week, which runs between the 13th to 19th November every year, aiming to bring awareness to the systemic issues trans people face, celebrate trans lives, and bring the community together. Vigils and events are taking place in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester and other cities across the country.
Why is TDOR so important now?
"with the average waiting time for an initial appointment at a gender identity clinic being over 6 years."
Following the 2025 For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which ruled the term ‘sex’ referred to a person’s ‘biological sex’ assigned at birth, trans rights in the UK have come under continued attack. Trans Actual’s October 2025 report into the impact that the Supreme Court ruling has had on gendered spaces found avoidance becoming a new part of some trans people’s routines to avoid being challenged for being in the ‘wrong’ space, and anxiety around what it means for the future of trans rights. This comes at a time when gender affirming care remains largely inaccessible for trans people in the UK, with the average waiting time for an initial appointment at a gender identity clinic being over 6 years. The structural and social barriers trans people are facing in the UK, along with the broader trend of trans rights being attacked globally, make trans week of Awareness and TDOR more important than ever.
What can you do?
For the dolls, trans and gender diverse people, there are multiple ways you can engage with trans awareness:
For cis people and allies you can get involved by:
Newcastle 2025 TDOR vigil was held on Thursday, 20th November at One Strawberry Lane in Newcastle. The atmopshere was very comforting and very community driven, acting as a reminder that there safe spaces in Newcastle for trans and gender queer indivduals. It shined a greast importance on remembering the indivudals from the community that have been lost due hate crimes and discrimiantion, while also highlighting the courage of survivors. Reflective events like this, underpin the importance of understanding that systemic transphobia still causes many concerns for the trans community.
"To any fellow dolls and trans people reading this, know you are loved, authentic, and incredible"
To any fellow dolls and trans people reading this, know you are loved, authentic, and incredible. We will get through these scary and uncertain times, for those we have lost and for ourselves, too.