4 Transgender Day of Remembrance events happening across Michigan

On Nov. 20, several communities across Michigan will be hosting events to honor the lives lost by anti-transgender violence in 2024. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is an annual observance dating back to 1999 that honors the memory of the lives lost to acts of transphobia, discrimination, and violence. 

“With so many seeking to erase transgender people—sometimes in the most brutal ways possible—it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered and that we continue to fight for justice,” said Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender advocate and founder of TDoR, in a 2012 interview. 

While her words are over a decade old, the truth behind them still resonates—at least 29 transgender and gender-expansive people were violently murdered across the US in 2024, according to the Human Rights Campaign. 

To honor the lives lost by anti-transgender violence, several communities across Michigan will be hosting their own TDoR events on Wednesday, November 20. The goal of these events is to not only spread awareness of anti-transgender violence but also create a space that allows other members of the transgender community to connect. 

To find more events and resources, check out Transgender Michigan and their event calendar. 

West Michigan

Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil
7 p.m.-9 p.m., 50 Front Ave. NW, Grand Rapids

Hosted by the Grand Rapids Pride Center, GVSU Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center, and Grand Rapids Trans Foundation, this event will feature music and entertainment by local transgender artists. Light refreshments and mental health resources will also be available.

Accessible parking is available in the Fulton Lot at Fulton and Mt. Vernon, underneath US-131 and directly under the Laker Line bus stop.

Mid-Michigan

Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil and Silent Art Auction
5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Howell Carnegie District Library, 314 W. Grand River Ave., Howell

Stand with Trans, a non-profit organization designed to empower and support transgender youth in Michigan and their families, will host a silent art auction and local speakers at Howell Carnegie District Library. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations in Michigan. 

Eastern Michigan

Detroit’s Transgender Day of Remembrance
7 p.m., Affirmations, 290 W. 9 Mile Rd., Ferndale

A candlelight vigil will be hosted at Affirmations, metro Detroit’s LGBTQ+ community center. Several community leaders are slated to speak—including Judy Lewis of MiGen, Detroit native and transgender advocate Julisa Abad, and Natalie Siagkris-Seymour of the Michigan Institute of Performance and Health. 

Northern Michigan

A Space for Trans Remembrance
7 p.m.-10 p.m., 6726 Center Rd., Traverse City

This event, in collaboration with Benzie Pride, Evergreen, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, and Up North Pride, will create a space that allows event attendees to honor trans lives—and celebrate trans joy with a trans and non-binary art showcase. Refreshments and music will be provided after the vigil.