Content warning: This article contains mentions of anti-trans violence and hate crimes.
Transgender Day of Remembrance arrives at a moment of rising hostility, legal setbacks and escalating violence, making this year’s commemoration especially urgent.
Observed annually on 20th November, Transgender Day of Remembrance honours the lives lost to anti-transgender hatred and violence. This year, the commemoration carries a renewed and urgent significance. Against a backdrop of legal changes and an increase in hostility towards the trans community, Transgender Day of Remembrance offers a crucial moment to reflect on how these developments have reshaped the lives of trans people over the past year.
Growing aggressions towards trans people across the world have become a particularly pertinent issue, with the UK’s justice system actively working to alienate trans people from participation in public life. One of the most obvious changes the trans community has faced over the last year is the Supreme Court case, For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which has subjected trans women to persistent levels of mistreatment across all aspects of life. New clarification of the Equality Act 2010, as ruled by the Supreme Court, dictates that ‘sex’ now refers to biological sex, which directly excludes transgender people who hold a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). For the purposes of the Equality Act, this now means transgender women are no longer considered women, which drastically impacts their ability to access certain services and single-sex spaces.
A report from TransActual in August highlighted how several trans, cisgender, and intersex people are facing job loss, violence, and exclusion as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling and EHRC guidance.
Dee Whitnell (@s3xtheorywithdee), trans activist and author of Beyond Bananas & Condoms, spoke with The New Feminist in light of Trans Awareness Week 2025 and Transgender Day of Remembrance. They reflected on how the trans community has been thrust into the spotlight, and not for celebratory reasons. They said: “Our actions and decisions are being picked apart, our experiences are being examined by individuals who don’t want to know us.”
They added that while those in their personal bubble have taken a refreshing approach to acceptance and allyship, the world beyond this “seems to be waiting to pick apart the next trans individual.” With this being felt across the trans community, Whitnell added: “This year, Transgender Day of Remembrance feels more visceral than ever. More names have been added to the growing lists, and you can’t scroll on social media without seeing article after article, hate comment after hate comment.”
Research from Transgender Europe and Central Asia (TGEU) maintains one of the many lists that identify victims of anti-trans violence that Whitnell refers to. New annual findings from TGEU’s Trans Murder Monitoring report have highlighted the growing levels of global hostility towards those in the trans community. A dangerous shift has indicated that a growing number of murder victims are leaders and activists within the trans movement, with these individuals accounting for 14% of murders between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025. This is a 5% rise since 2024 and an 8% rise since 2023. Overall, 281 trans and gender diverse people were reported murdered between 2024 and 2025.
As Trans Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance continue to be observed annually, governments must counteract the role they have played in perpetuating a global cycle of violence against the trans community. Only then will societal attitudes begin to shift, and trans people will be welcomed to participate fully in public life.
The failure of social media to implement and maintain necessary protections for the trans community has been another concerning trend. Back in April, Meta’s independent Oversight Board ruled that anti-trans posts would be allowed on Meta platforms. The board also added that Meta should remove anti-transgender rhetoric from its updated hate speech policy.
When discussing how certain rhetoric had impacted the trans community, Whitnell added: “Not only has this polarising commentary impacted the trans community’s safety, but it’s also impacted our work.”
They explained: “So many organisations are pushing out trans employees or making it harder for them to exist within the workplace. In the media and influencer world, we have seen a huge decrease in brands wanting to work with trans people and show their allyship. It has been difficult as a trans content creator to stay afloat, whilst also considering my safety whenever I leave the house or my mental wellbeing whenever I post a video on social media.”
These continued moves to alienate the trans community across all aspects of society reiterate the continued significance of observing Transgender Day of Remembrance annually. The violence that comes as a result of societal changes will only continue if a global effort to combat the mistreatment of trans communities, both legislatively and socially, is not made.
Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime is urged to call the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or visit the True Vision website. In an emergency, always dial 999.
