UK Trans Day of Remembrance vigils you can attend in person or online
The 25th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony and vigil in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. (Andrew Burke-Stevenson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The 25th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony and vigil in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. (Andrew Burke-Stevenson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Trans Day of Remembrance, which takes place today (Thursday 20 November), honours the memory of the victims of transphobic violence, with vigils across the UK.
It was first marked in 1999, after Rita Hester, a Black trans woman, was murdered in Allston, Massachusetts, the year before. Members of the LGBTQ+ community came together for a candlelight vigil to honour her memory and condemn the rise of homophobic and transphobic violence in the US.
The vigil inspired the “Remembering Our Dead” project, which eventually culminated in the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which follows Transgender Awareness Week.
Here are a few of the biggest vigils taking place in the UK this year, which you can join in person or online.
London
King’s College London will hold its vigil at 6pm on Wednesday (19 November). It will also be available online (see below).
The event’s website says: “The vigil will include readings from students and staff, as well as an opportunity for all to light a candle and pay their respects.”
Another candlelight vigil, organised by Not a Phase, is set to take place on Thursday (20 November) in Soho Square. It will run from 6.30pm until 8pm, and will “cultivate a comforting and united space to be together”.
The Trans Legal Clinic will hold its vigil on the same day from 7pm to 10pm in Trafalgar Square. Speakers include MP Nadia Whittome, Green Party leader Zack Polanski and singer Kate Nash.
Wimbledon’s Holy Trinity Church, in The Broadway. will hold a vigil on Sunday (23 November) at 6pm.
The church is “enormously proud” to extend the invitation to anyone who would like to attend in “solidarity and remembrance of our trans siblings everywhere”.
Margate, Kent
Not a Phase will also host a vigil on the corner of Duke St and Market Place, in Margate, between 6.30pm and 8pm. “We will be lighting candles and taking time to remember trans+ lives lost,” the invitation notes.
Brighton
Again on Thursday, Not a Phase will host the Brighton vigil from 6.30pm in Jubilee Square.
Basildon, Essex
A vigil will be held on Thursday at St Mark’s Church, in St Martin’s Square, starting at 7pm and finishing at 9pm.
The invitation says: “We’ll come together to honour and memorialise those who have lost their lives as a result of transphobia. At 7.30pm, there will be speeches, poetry and a minute’s silence.”
Hastings, East Sussex
A vigil and gathering, organised by Trans Pride Hastings, will take place in St Andrews Mews, from 7pm to 9pm. Hot chocolate and candles will be provided.
Online
If you’re unable to attend a vigil in-person, Trans Pride Scotland is holding an online vigil at 7.30pm on Thursday. To attend, a simple form must be filled out.
King’s College will livestream its vigil on Wednesday but footage will only be accessible to those who have signed up to attend.
The Sparkle Charity will host a livestream of its Manchester event, which will take place on Thursday in Sackville Gardens, starting at 6.30pm. Access to the livestream is via a link provided on the invite.
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