Trans Awareness Month, and Remembrance Day, November
Trans Awareness Month – November (formed in 2017)
A month to celebrate transgender and gender nonconforming communities and to raise awareness for this community through education and advocacy activities.
Trans Awareness Week 13-19 November (formed in 2017)
A week to educate about transgender and gender non-conforming people, and the issues associated with their transition and/or identity. (See GLAAD.org)
Transgender Day of Remembrance 20 November (formed in 1999)
Day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. *
EVENTS
Nov. 17 Transgender Day of Remembrance at Auraria (Denver)
Nov. 17 Northern Colorado Trans Day of Remembrance and Resiliency (Ft. Collins)
Nov. 18 Transgender Day of Remembrance at the Center on Colfax (Denver)
Nov. 19 Trans Center of the Rockies presents Trans Day of Remembrance (Denver)
Nov. 20 OBC’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (Boulder)
Nov. 20 Service of Remembrance and Resilience (Loveland UCC)
Nov. 20 Trans Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil (Grand Junction)
Letter
It is fascinating what most people consider history. History for some starts and ends with civics classes or a genealogical curiosity, but for others it’s an everyday interaction. The LGBTQ+ community’s connection with their own history is intricate and unique. It’s hard to pass on our oral histories without the help of deep kindred intergenerational friendships. Our community keeps and gathers in places that transcend time. The constant debate over our civil rights calls back to what we had to do to achieve them, and what we’ll have to do if they are taken from us.
October was LGBTQ+ History Month… consider what the significance of being introduced to this history does for our community, especially recent queer generations. Connection to history is often more impactful than we realize. Knowing one’s history can change one’s life.
For myself, learning that Amelio Robles, a transgender man in 1920s Mexico, lived a long, happy, fulfilling life and was respected by his peers in the Mexican revolutionary armies helped me realize that a long, happy, fulfilling future as a transgender woman is possible. That decision has led me to believing in a fulfilling future with impossibly wonderful friendships. One such being, Robynne Pennington, who was the vice president of the Gender Identity Center in the 1990s, provided numerous services, safe havens, and advice for transgender people since the early 1970s.
To learn more, check out the multitude of artifacts in History Colorado’s permanent LGBTQ+ Archive. This history is truly lifesaving and prioritizing its preservation has the power to keep our community safe. Please check out Rainbows & Revolutions the next time you’re at History Colorado Center.
—Soleil Hanberry-Lizzi, Guest Services Agent
History Colorado, weekly newsletter, October 2022
HistoryColorado.org
* This list of dates was provided by Wikipedia
