When Remembrance Is Simply Not Enough

A new report released earlier today by the Human Rights Campaign outlines another disturbing and unacceptable year of violence for our trans and gender-nonconforming Americans. The report was released on Trans Day of Remembrance and included data, quotes, and analysis the HRC shared below.

HRC says twenty-seven transgender or gender-nonconforming people were killed nationwide in the year since the last TDOR. The group has tracked cases since 2013 and now counts at least 399 deaths in that period. HRC noted that the number is almost certainly higher because some victims are misgendered or not counted at all.

As is always the case, most of the victims were people of color. They report seventy percent were Black, Indigenous, or other people of color. Nearly sixty percent were Black trans women. More than seventy percent were shot.

“This plague of violence is robbing us of so much,” Tori Cooper, HRC’s Director of Strategic Outreach and Training, said. Cooper also noted the data reflects a community “scarred” by loss and called on officials and lawmakers to ensure trans people are protected equally.

HRC President Kelley Robinson also pointed to political rhetoric targeting trans people. “Every person deserves to feel safe,” Robinson said. She added that this year’s data sits alongside a political movement “fanning the flames of hate” and pushing trans people further out of public life.

The report also includes results from the group’s 2025 LGBTQ+ Community Survey. Many trans respondents reported that they are less visible in their daily lives than they were last year. Some said they are out less often, or not at all, because of safety concerns.

The release from HRC comes as cities across the country hold ceremonies for Trans Day of Remembrance. In West Hollywood, the City’s monthlong observance continues with events and displays already underway.

Earlier this month, the City raised the trans flag over City Hall. Lanterns along Santa Monica Boulevard were changed to blue, pink, and white. The City says those colors will stay in place through November 20 as part of its recognition of Transgender Awareness Month.

West Hollywood also helped present the GARRAS Fashion Show at the Pacific Design Center last Saturday, November 15. The show is produced by the TransLatin@ Coalition and included trans and gender-nonconforming models and performers.

The City will host its annual Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony on Friday, November 21, at 6 p.m. inside the Council Chambers on San Vicente Boulevard. Jazzmun Crayton will emcee the program. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the former Medical Director of the Center for Trans Youth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, will speak. The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and LZ Love are also scheduled to perform. The ceremony will include a reading of names.

WeHoTV will broadcast the program and stream it online. A recording will remain available.

The City maintains a Transgender Resource Guide with legal, health, and support services. HRC and Advocates for Trans Equality both continued to update national information this month, including portraits and documentation of trans people lost this year.

The message from both the national report and the local events is the same. Remembrance is simply not enough.