Trans people in our communities and beyond are essential and beloved. JFREJ owes so much of its past, present, and future to the brilliance and power of trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming organizers and members.
Saturday, November 20, 2021 is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance/Resilience, when we honor the memory of those killed in acts of anti-trans violence, and the resilience and power of trans people everywhere. Shabbat ends at 5:18pm on November 20th. If you are able, please join JFREJ and our friends at Make the Road NY’s Trans Immigrant Project in Corona Plaza 6:00-8:00pm to commemorate the trans community members whose lives were cut short because of transphobia, and to call for an end to the epidemic of state and community violence against our TGNCIQ communities.
Loving and honoring trans people is important every single day of the year, but we are especially mindful that there is more anti-trans legislation across the country this year than ever before, and it is exceedingly important to show up — especially allies — to demonstrate our shared commitment to the freedom, safety, and thriving of trans people everywhere.
Policing rigid gender binaries has long been a core part of the political right’s agenda, and especially the Christian Right. Violent fascists on the political right are collaborating with anti-trans activists to fuel mass moral panics and mob hysteria. Between mob violence and violent policy, trans people are under a more organized attack than ever before. But we’re organized too. As Jews, as anti-fascists, as New Yorkers, and as a queer community, we at JFREJ must commit to not only commemorating the memories of those we’ve lost, but also fighting like hell for the living.
Additional Resources for TDOR:
- Join SVARA, Keshet, and Shel Maala Thursday night, November 18, on Zoom at 7:00pm for an evening of learning and ritual in honor of the trans lives lost this past year.
- Read about the organized legislative attacks on trans people here
- Read about the links between antisemitism and transphobia here
- Read about the way anti-trans legislation is a strategy to build an authoritarian Christian ethnostate here.
- Listen to this beautiful playlist by Let My People Sing! with songs created and sung by trans Jews.
- Learn about the 375 trans and gender-diverse people killed just this year as a result of transphobic violence. May their memories be for a blessing.