by Mahkyra Gaines and nikkita oliver

Today marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of those whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence. The tradition of honoring the lives of transgender loved ones murdered by anti-transgender violence was established by Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1999. The first Transgender Day of Remembrance was in honor of Rita Hester — a Black transgender woman who was murdered in 1998.