Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience (TDoRR) is observed annually and internationally on November 20 to honour the memory of the trans people who have lost their lives as a result of transphobic violence that year.
Trans and nonbinary people continue to face marginalization and discrimination in the form of transphobia. Transphobia can manifest as negative attitudes and beliefs about trans people, irrational fears and misunderstandings, a disbelief or discounting of a person’s pronouns or their gender identity, misgendering, derogatory language and name-calling, and bullying, abuse, and violence. Transphobia and associated stigma can also create barriers (and deterrents) for trans and nonbinary people’s access to and inclusion in services, resources, and communities. It is a collective responsibility to work to reduce these barriers. At the University of Toronto, we are committed to challenging marginalization and discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.
Trans Day of Remembrance was first observed in 1998 by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith who hosted a vigil in memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman who had been killed that year. The vigil became a commemoration of all of the trans lives lost that year to violence and has since become an annual event.
The week before Nov 20 is also Transgender Awareness Week, which aims to increase awareness, visibility and knowledge of trans people and the issues faced by members of trans communities. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the lives of trans and nonbinary people and the contributions they have made and continue to make. This year, Trans Awareness Week will be recognized November 13-17, 2023.
The SGDO Calendar is open to Trans Awareness Week events across all three campuses. Read more.
Please stay tuned for this space to fill up with more events over the Trans Awareness Week.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
10:00AM – 12:00PM – St. George Campus (with hybrid option) – UTSC will now have an in-person viewing, room AC 321 (AACC Workshop Room)
Trans @ Work – Navigating the Workplace as Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Diverse People (Students)
In collaboration with Career Exploration & Education, this is a space for trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse students to explore self-advocacy, legal rights, solidarity, and allyship, as well as advice on finding an inclusive workplace. It will offer a space for learning, discussion, and skills practice. This event is hybrid! Join us in-person (stay for pizza lunch) or over Zoom!
About the facilitator:
Beck Scholbeck (they/them) completed their degree in Sexual Diversity studies with minors in Women and Gender Studies and Critical Studies in equity and solidarity. They have just begun their Masters of Social Work.
Beck is also an abstract-style stick and poke tattoo artist. Their many other interests include crochet, zines, and punk music.
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
12:00PM-2:00PM – St. George & UTM Campuses
Trans-Affirming Knitting & Crocheting (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
Robarts Library, OISE Library, Hart House Integrated Learning and Community Engagement, UTSC Library, UTM Library and the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office are proud to offer an opportunity for trans-affirming knitting and crocheting projects starting during Trans Awareness Week in November, with follow-up opportunities to work more on the pieces at St. George campus.
The events will focus on knitting and/or crocheting trans positive items (they can be trans flag-related, words of affirmation, positive imagery, etc.), as well as gender-affirming items, such as ‘knockers’ and ‘packers’.
Patterns and instructions will be provided, yarns and needles/hooks will be provided, and you’re welcome to bring your own. Some volunteers will be available to assist in teaching skills for those who are beginners but want to participate at St. George and UTM. This cannot be guaranteed at UTSC, although experienced knitters/crocheters are encouraged to attend to share this knowledge.
Everyone is welcome – trans folks, queer folks, and allies who want to contribute skills and support to trans communities!
Specific location information will be provided to registrants closer to the event dates. All locations will be accessible buildings with all-gender washrooms available nearby. Snacks will be provided.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
12:00PM-2:00PM – UTSC Campus
Trans-Affirming Knitting & Crocheting (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
UTSC Library, in collaboration with UTM, Robarts, and OISE Libraries as well as Hart House and the SGDO, are proud to offer an opportunity for trans-affirming knitting and crocheting projects.
The events will focus on knitting and/or crocheting trans positive items (they can be trans flag-related, words of affirmation, positive imagery, etc.), as well as gender-affirming items, such as ‘knockers’ and ‘packers’.
Patterns and instructions will be provided, yarns and needles/hooks will be provided, and you’re welcome to bring your own. Experienced knitters/crocheters are encouraged to attend to share knowledge with beginner participants.
Everyone is welcome – trans folks, queer folks, and allies who want to contribute skills and support to trans communities!
Specific location information will be provided to registrants closer to the event dates. All locations will be accessible buildings with all-gender washrooms available nearby. Snacks will be provided.
Friday, November 17, 2023
12:00PM – 3:00PM – UTSC (Location will be sent to registrants)
Major! Film Screening & Discussion Space – (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
In collaboration with SC:OUT, UTSC Positive Space, and the SGDO, we are proud to announce an on-campus screening of Major! Learn about Miss Major, a Black trans icon and community-builder who has fought tirelessly for ALL trans people. WINNER of the 2016 Inside Out Film Fest Audience Award for Documentary!
About the film:
MAJOR! is a documentary film (91 mins) exploring the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a formerly incarcerated Black transgender elder and activist who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for over 40 years.
At the heart of MAJOR! is a social justice framework that puts the subjects at the center of their story. Miss Major is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion and a survivor of Attica State Prison, a former sex worker, an elder, and a community leader and human rights activist. She is simply ‘Mama’ to many in her community. If history is held within us, embodied in our loves and losses, then Miss Major is a living library, a resource for generations to come to more fully understand the rich heritage of the Queer Rights movement that is so often whitewashed and rendered invisible. Captions will be available in English.
Food will be available, including halal and vegan options. Coffee and tea will be available.
Attendees will be entered into a raffle for a cute Trans Awareness Week prize pack!
1:00PM – 2:00PM – Virtual
RESTORE Space – (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
In collaboration with the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office: A Restore Space for Black, Indigenous, and racialized U of T communities who are Trans, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit people, and people who are gender expansive with movement artist and embodiment facilitator, Saysah.
Contemplative movement: spacializing grief and play
Over the course of the session, Saysah will hold space for a community-informed co-creation session in which the offering will centre around a multi-sensorial ode to our collective and self rest. There in an invitation to be present and playful, with no expectation but to show up as you are. We hope to offer a session full of witnessing, joy, movement-play and grief-space. This space is for us.
Session Flow:
- Rest + Download + Journal
- [ B r e a k ]
- Movement + Play + Embodiment
- Witnessing Circle: Somatics + Reflection + Witnessing
What To Expect
- no movement experience necessary
- trauma-informed practice
- community engagement
- access-informed
- play + intimacy
- ritual + ceremony
- activation of body-mind-spirit connection
About Saysah:
Saysahs practice is rooted in trauma-informed somatic modalities as ways to tangibly support in decolonizing the body in pursuit of restorative healing and decarceral accountability. Within their community work, they are invested in decentralizing political education by supporting the exchange of community and cultural knowledges within the tradition of Black liberation, Indigenous sovereignty and anti-poverty. As a mover and maker, they use multi-sensorial mediums as a way to tell stories that centre spacializing grief and joy, ecologies of care, resistance and belonging.
If you want to attend the virtual event and require accommodations due to accessibility, please contact sgdo@utoronto.ca and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.
Learn more about the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office.
Monday, November 20, 2023
11:00AM – 3:00PM – UTSC (Various Locations)
Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
SC:OUT is hosting a Trans Day of Remembrance vigil program from 11:00AM-12:00PM in recognition of the lives lost due to transphobic violence. Join SC:OUT in solidarity, collective grief, and reverence for trans siblings. There will be a gathering on the BV steps (next to the SC:OUT drop-in at Bladen Wing).
Against Transphobia Action, Discussion, and Practice Space (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
Join SC:OUT Executives for a discussion & practice space Against Transphobia using the Block, Build, Be framework for liberation movements. The session will explore various forms of transphobia as well as several strategies for trans liberation. All have a role to play – join for a community discussion on how everyone can plug into liberatory action. This space will be held 1:00PM-3:00PM at the TV Lounge in the UTSC Student Centre.
4:00PM – 5:15PM – Multi-Faith Centre, St. George Campus
Trans Day of Remembrance & Resilience (Students, Staff, Faculty, Librarians)
Please join the SGDO and campus partners for arts-based space supported by Get Crafty! and community-building starting at 4:00PM. There will be light food and warm drinks available. After sundown, we will move outside for a short period to hold space to honour, mourn, and celebrate those whose lives have been lost to transphobia, and also to celebrate those who are still with us.
The space will take place in a wheelchair accessible building with all-gender washrooms available, including accessible single-stall washrooms.
This event is open to all students, staff, faculty, and librarians across U of T who wish to connect, celebrate, honour, and show solidarity with trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse U of T community members.
If you are attending a planned meeting and require accommodation(s) due to disability, please email us directly and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.
No registration is necessary
POSTPONED – The Heart is a Garden: Writing Grief and Transformation (Students)
We are living in a time of immense communal loss and grief, and yet, it is often difficult to access a sense of belonging in the midst of grief, numbness, fear, rage. How can practices of joy and play guide us into community, as we tend to our grief? What power does grief hold to catalyze healing and collective resistance? What grows when we share our pain, our humanness, with each other? In this workshop, we will read and write our own poems, led by these questions. We will also experiment with collective composition as a way to witness and care for ourselves and each other. Our grief, held collectively, can transform the world.
About the facilitator:
Jody Chan (they/them) is a writer, drummer, community organizer, and care worker based in Toronto/Tkaronto. They are the author of sick (Black Lawrence Press), finalist for the Lambda Literary and Pat Lowther Memorial Awards, and winner of the 2018 St. Lawrence Book Award and 2021 Trillium Award for Poetry. Jody is a performing and teaching member with RAW Taiko Drummers, an editorial board member of Midnight Sun Magazine, and the 2023-2024 Artist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s Queer and Trans Research Lab.