Today is International Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is a day to honour and remember all transgender and non-binary people who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence.

Tonight we will light a candle with our loved ones to remember all of those who have been harmed. We hope that wherever you are, whoever you are, you are safe and that you will take a moment to light a candle and remember with us.

Tomorrow we will get up and continue to work to make our little part of the world a better place for transgender and non-binary people who deserve to live how they choose, love who they choose, and be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity.

There’s work to be done, and it is not the work of transgender people alone.

How to be an ally in a small town:
• Never stop learning and challenging yourself,
• Correct ignorance and fear when you see it/hear it out in the world,
• Let your local organizations, schools, political representatives know that you are an ally, and you expect that they will be too,
• Post positive messages on your social media,
• Support other people, businesses, and organizations that are working for Pride in your community,
• Support and love each other, because that’s where the best things in life happen.

“Solidarity means showing up, speaking out, saying their names and steadfastly working to change the realities that conspire to put transgender people at risk of violence. We can do better.”
Jay Brown – HRC Foundation