Transgender Day of Remembrance has been held internationally in November since 1998 to honor and bring attention to transgender lives lost to violence—and each year, it seems, the need for this gesture grows more necessary. In 2016, 27 reported murders of transgender people broke 2015’s record of 21 murders, and 2017 is on track to match or exceed that 27. As of press time, 23 transgender people have been murdered in the United States this year—and all but two of the victims were people of color. One of those victims was Baltimore’s own Alphonza Watson, who was shot in the Barclay neighborhood on March 22. At a vigil honoring her life held by the Baltimore Transgender Alliance at Station North’s Ynot Lot a few days later, Monica Stevens, founder of transgender network Sistas of the T, lamented “I’m not just sick of the killing, I’m sick of people not seeing the beauty of our diversity.”
In that spirit of perseverance and celebration of life, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance marks Transgender Day of Remembrance once again with the third annual Trans March of Resilience. “While previous celebrations held on this day were focused on remembering our loss; the [Trans March of Resilience] has always been about reminding us of our strength,” reads the event’s Facebook page. “This strength exists in many forms, in our integrity to our truest selves & in the community we have built for each other.” The march will start from the Ynot Lot and will follow with a free banquet at 2640 Space complete with performances from Coco Nicole, DJ Pancakes, Rahne Alexander, and others. Assembly at 5:30 p.m., Ynot Lot, 1904 N. Charles St.; banquet at 7 p.m., 2640 Space, 2640 St. Paul St., facebook.com/bmoretransalliance, free.