‘Died for being themselves': Transgender Day of Remembrance honors lives lost to violence

Transgender Day of Remembrance has been held annually since 1999, and the vigils and memorials have only gotten larger.

That’s 25 years of honoring lives lost to hate crimes. Wednesday was another solemn day for the trans community. Dozens of trans people were killed this year alone – two of them here in South Florida.

“Right now we are in a time that we are afraid. We are looking to our community support," said Misty Eyez, a transgender activist and community leader.

Early Wednesday evening in Wilton Manors, a group of people marched several blocks from a park to the pride center. As they walked, they held up signs and yelled “Trans lives matter" and “Enough is enough." Each step and each chant had a purpose and a message.

“We’re here to remember our sisters and brothers of trans experience that unfortunately lost their lives due to traumatic violence and attacks," said Ashlee Hollerman, a speaker at the memorial.

After the march, there was a community meal, and then powerful entertainment and messages during a memorial.

“77% of the worldwide population of T-DOR (Transgender Day of Remembrance) hate crimes are people of color. 53% were Black trans women. 60% were killed by gunpoint. 39% by romantic or sexual partner or a loved one," Misty Eyez said.

Pictures and the names of transgender victims of violence were displayed on stage.

“I do have a good sister, Sequence, who was brutally murdered in 2022. I definitely want to keep her memory alive," Hollerman said.

This year alone, at least 30 trans people lost their lives to anti-trans violence. Two of them died right here in our backyard.

Andrea Dos Passos, 37, was murdered while she was sleeping. The man accused of killing the transgender woman allegedly struck the victim with a metal pipe on the head and face.

Then Legend Billions, a Black transgender man, was also murdered. He was shot to death at Strike 10 at Gulfstream Park.

“It’s disheartening. It’s heartbreaking. It’s crushing because you know that person died – not because they’re a bad person, they weren’t criminal or psychopath or sociopath – that person died for being themselves," said Tommy Jmurrell, an activist.

But activists say this day of remembrance isn’t just about mourning. It’s about awareness and visibility.

“We have done this. We have survived 100% of the things we've been through. And the last two years specifically, we have been fighting for gender markers, IDs, and we won’t stop fighting," Misty Eyez said.

“It’s super important not only for our community but for visibility across the board…to get out the message to make people understand that our transgender brothers and sisters and nonbinary community members need our support and commitment and solidarity to make sure that they’re safe and treated equally in our community," said Jameer Baptiste with HotSpots Happening Out.

Transgender Day of Remembrance in Wilton Manors was organized by TransInclusive, a community drop-in center that provides vital resources to the trans community.