Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024

Today’s story, which commemorates the Transgender Day of Remembrance, includes descriptions of violence and bigotry against transgender people. The Wild Hunt believes it is important to our mission to acknowledge, report on, and remember the victims of this violence, given the importance of transgender people to the Pagan movement, but reader discretion is advised.

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MIAMI – Today, November 20, 2024, marks Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), a solemn day dedicated to honoring the lives of transgender, gender-diverse, and non-binary individuals who have been tragically lost to violence and hate. It is a day to reflect on the courage of those who lived authentically and to mourn those taken far too soon.

While TDoR began in the United States, its observance has spread globally, uniting people worldwide in vigils and on social media to grieve, remember, and demand justice.

It is a day to remember the names of those lost.

It is also a day to renew our commitment to fighting the systemic violence and discrimination faced by the trans community.

This year, the Trans Murder Monitoring Report from Transgender Europe (TGEU) reveals an alarming increase in violence. Between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, at least 350 transgender individuals were murdered—a significant rise from 321 in the previous year. Since the report began nearly two decades ago, it has documented the killings of over 5,000 transgender people worldwide.

The data provides a stark picture of systemic violence:

• One in four victims was aged between 19 and 25.
• Fifteen trans youth under 18 years old were murdered, representing 6% of this year’s total.
• The majority of murders occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil continuing to report the highest number of cases for the 17th consecutive year—accounting for 30% of all murders globally.
• Nine murders were reported in Africa, more than double the previous highest annual total.

The victims were overwhelmingly Black and migrant trans women of color, with 93% of reported murders involving Black or Brown individuals. Trans sex workers remain the most targeted group, although their proportion among victims (46%) is the lowest since the reporting began.

These numbers, while horrifying, likely represent only a fraction of the actual violence. Many cases go unreported, misreported, or ignored, leaving the true scale of the crisis hidden. The TGEU report notes a “consistent rise” in hate speech and hate crimes, fueled by anti-trans rhetoric from political figures, religious leaders, and public influencers. Social media disinformation has exacerbated the problem, enabled by inadequate accountability and weak protections against hate crimes.

Ymania Brown, Executive Director of TGEU, highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating:

“When will this violence end? States must commit to immediate action to counter the surge in anti-trans hate speech and attacks.”

The report underscores how anti-trans movements use trans people as scapegoats to push broader anti-democratic agendas. These movements vilify and dehumanize the trans community, perpetuating cycles of violence and discrimination.

‘This is no doubt a consequence of the concerted efforts of anti-gender and anti-rights movements that instrumentalise and vilify trans people to push wider anti-democratic political agendas. We have seen a consistent rise in the levels of online and offline hate speech and hate crimes, especially from political actors and religious and faith leaders, public figures. This rise is enabled by the lack of strong hate crime legislation that protects gender identity and expression, and the manipulative disinformation resulting from the lack of accountability for social media companies on ensuring information integrity,’  

—  Joint Statement on Trans Day of Remembrance, 20 November by TGEU, developed in collaboration with GATE, ILGA World, APTN, IGLYO, and ESWA

Behind every statistic is a person—someone with dreams, loved ones, and a right to live freely and authentically.

The Trans Murder Monitoring Report reminds us that, as societies, we have failed to protect these lives. Each loss is a reminder of the systemic changes still needed to ensure safety and equality for trans and gender-diverse people.

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