Transgender Day of Remembrance - 20th November

November 20th is the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) – an international event that commemorates those who have lost their lives because they were transgender, whether by violence or by being driven to suicide as a result of harassment, abuse, or untreated gender dysphoria.

Melanie Bartlett, member of the Trust's LGBT+ Network, shares the following message ahead of TDOR:

Ten years ago, a study found that 84% of trans people in the UK had seriously thought about taking their own life, 48% had tried to do so. More than 20% of trans people personally knew another trans person whose attempt was successful.

There is no permanent memorial to those members of the trans community that we have lost, so events are organised more locally. The day will be marked by groups of trans people and their allies, holding candlelit vigils in memory of trans people who have been murdered or who have taken their own lives to escape discrimination and abuse.

We know that hate crime remains a problem for many in the trans community but it will not be tolerated here at EEAST. If you, or anyone you know, has experienced gender-based discrimination or abuse then please Speak Up, Speak Out and Stop It. If you do not feel comfortable talking to your line manager then our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian can offer you support and advice confidentially.

If you would like to attend a TDOR vigil, most are organised by local LGBT support groups or by university student unions: look for details on their websites. A few churches have TDOR services, such as Jesus College Chapel in Cambridge and Humanists UK will be holding TDOR ceremony in London at 9pm on 20th November.

If you would like to find out more about how you can support trans patients, download the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network leaflet here, or contact Melanie Bartlett (Secretary of the EEAST LGBT+ Network) at melanie.bartlett@eastamb.nhs.uk for a hard copy folded to credit-card size.

Melanie Bartlett

Published 16th November 2022