Some BWC Thoughts on TDOR 2025

On November 20, during the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), we grieve and honor the lives of transgender people who were killed simply for being trans. 

According to the Trans Murder Monitoring project, a global research initiative, “281 trans and gender diverse people were reported murdered” between October 2024 and September 2025. Most of those murdered were transfeminine (90%), and most of them were Black or Brown (88%). This is, obviously, beyond horrible. It’s also, unfortunately, not surprising: the research project has recorded more than five thousand murders worldwide since 2009. 

When news headlines and our day-to-day lives are already difficult and depressing, we can’t help but ask: What’s the value of TDOR in 2025? Why do we make time to sit in this grief? 

For one, we make time because we should process this collective pain with the collective. We can share the weight of grief with each other and with our community instead of carrying it alone. We can carry this pain together, surrounded by love, hopefully with people who really get it.

For two, we make time because the anti-trans movement persists, and we must face harsh realities to eradicate them. In the U.S., more anti-trans bills have passed in 2025 than any year prior. Explicit anti-trans hate and violence aside, trans people are particularly vulnerable to the other deadly policies orchestrated by the Trump administration. 

So, we come together, we remember those who we’ve lost, and we fight for those who are still with us and those who are yet to come. Here’s how:

• Donate to mutual aid efforts, like those dedicated to helping trans people not only live, but thrive.

• Advocate for policy meant to protect trans people. 

• Show up for the trans people in your community. Listen and help where you can.

• At Better World Collaborative, we work with clients like the ACLU of Montana and the Equality Federation to fight for a more just, safe world for trans people and beyond. 

And, history shows that when we fight back, we win. Let’s keep going, despite the horrors, because this world is for our lives, too.