Transgender Day of Remembrance to be marked in Red Deer Monday

A somber ceremony taking place Monday in Red Deer will serve as a reminder that there is zero place in the world for discrimination against people who are transgender.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance, or TDoR, is happening Nov. 20 at the Pioneer Lodge starting at 6:30 p.m. It is free to attend and open to the public.

Lucas Gagnon, spokesperson with the Trans and Non-binary Aid Society (TANAS), says there’s good reason why they’re telling people ahead of time this year.

“Last year, we were concerned about safety and it is still of course a number one priority, but we wanted to make sure that people knew about how important this event is to us as well,” Gagnon says.

The memorial revolves around the concept of safety, it being a time to remember those who are trans or non-binary and have been killed because of it.

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Gagnon says since TANAS first held a remembrance in Red Deer last November, local organizations such as the Women’s Emergency Shelter, The Outreach Centre and Heritage Family Services have all reached out in an effort to learn more.

Those who attend will witness something akin to a funeral, Gagnon notes. There will also be a speakers panel with TANAS members and a time for those who come to reflect on what helps transgender people get through daily life.

For Gagnon, his saving grace has been family.

“I struggle with my own family, my family of blood, so having family of choice, people who really just support me and love me unconditionally, that’s made all the difference,” he says. “Knowing there are organizations out there that are explicitly trans-inclusive has really helped too. If I had a suggestion for organizations that say they accept everybody, it would be if you’re talking about transgender and non-binary or gender-diverse individuals in general, it’s really important to explicitly say that because we are so used to being left out of that kind of conversation.”

Gagnon adds while it is the memorial’s purpose to remember those who have been murdered because of their gender identity, it’s equally key to talk about mental illness in relation to TDoR.

“It’s a large misconception that being transgender or non-binary is a mental illness,” he says. “It is not a mental illness, however experiencing persecution and discrimination from people can definitely play a role in a person’s mental health.”

The most recently profiled case in our country of anti-trans violence was in September in Montreal. A 24-year-old man is currently facing homicide-related charges there in relation to the fatal stabbing of 26-year-old Sisi Thibert.

Also in September, it was revealed Canada had been involved in accepting 22 gay men and women from Chechnya amid a crackdown on the LGBT community there.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is also being marked Monday with ceremonies in Edmonton and Calgary to be attended by Minister of Culture and Tourism Ricardo Miranda and Stratchcona-Sherwood Park MLA Estefania Cortes-Vargas.

The official Facebook page for Monday’s memorial can be viewed here.