Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Remembrance

Remembering Resistance and Joy

November 20 marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, founded in 1999 to memorialize the murder of transgender woman Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts, and now recognized broadly as an opportunity to honour trans, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. 

At Centennial College, we have added Two-Spirit to the beginning of this day of remembrance to honour our pledge towards reconciliation and systemic change that addresses the histories of colonial violence. Due to colonization, Two-Spirit peoples' traditions have been lost or hidden and as a result, Two-Spirit people may also experience violence within their own communities due to homophobia and transphobia.

Historically, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals were part of the fabric of Turtle Island since before European settlement and colonization, but today, it is becoming increasingly recognized that homophobia and transphobia are in direct contradiction with many traditional Indigenous values. Reclaiming the traditional roles and value placed on Two-Spirit people’s gifts and allowing them to reassert their place as complex individuals within their communities, is part of a larger decolonizing, healing process taking place within Indigenous communities.

The commitment to decolonizing binary gender stereotypes and building inclusive communities, where everyone feels safe to be their full selves, is a continual and communal effort. 2SLGBTQQIA+ Indigenous community members worked tirelessly on the MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan to begin creating spaces where Two-Spirit, trans and gender-diverse people feel safe to be their full selves, and take their rightful place amongst their own communities, and to displace settler colonial notions of gender.

It’s important to remember that the Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Remembrance is not only a day to remember those Two-Spirit, trans and gender-diverse people we have lost through violence but is also a day to remember the ever-present resistance, resilience and joy that exists within trans communities.

With today’s increasing climate of transphobia and anti-trans rhetoric, this day is a reminder to all allies and cisgender people of their responsibility to help end transphobia and build collective strategies to ensure safe and equitable learning and working environments for all. While there have been many strides toward this, there is still much we can do to ensure the safety and well-being of all 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Research by Trans Pulse reveals the challenges trans Ontarians face in the workforce, including barriers to employment, and unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. Nearly one in five trans Ontarians report being turned down for a job for being trans, and nearly one in three reported being fired for being trans.

In Egale’s Every Class in Every School report, it’s clear that trans students experience higher levels of unsafety and harassment in our classrooms and hallways and the study also found that teachers and staff were ineffective in addressing transphobic harassment, click here for more information about transgender youth students.

Centennial community members are invited to take steps to more meaningfully address and end transphobia in the learning and working environment. Please see below for opportunities to learn and expand your understanding of the issues affecting Two-Spirit, trans and gender-diverse communities, ways to get involved and community supports.

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