Denver, CO -- One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families, honors Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th, 2019. Today marks the 20th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). Around the world on November 20th, communities come together to honor transgender individuals who have lost their lives to anti-trangender violence. There are several TDoR events taking place around Colorado today, including events in Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, Delta, Grand Junction, and Loveland.

‍“We honor the 22 individuals who have been named as victims of fatal violence this year because of their real or perceived gender identity. But we know that these 22 lives do not paint the full picture of violence against the transgender community, especially for transgender women of color. These numbers may not account for those who are not identified as transgender or those who have lost their lives to suicide. Because of this, we may never know how many lives are taken from the transgender community every year.”

‍- Daniel Ramos, One Colorado Executive Director

‍Transgender discrimination comes in all forms and contributes to the disadvantages transgender individuals face not only in safety and wellbeing, but in healthcare, schools, and economic success.

• Nationally, 77% of trans youth reported experiencing some form of verbal, physical, or sexual violence. (Gender-Based Violence Against Transgender People in the United States: A Call for Research and Programming. Wirtz AL1)
• In a 2018 study from American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 50% of transgender male teens, 42% percent of non-binary teens, and 30% of transgender female teens said they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.
• In One Colorado’s Closing the Gap Report, 1 out of 3 transgender patients reported to have been denied coverage for an LGBTQ-specific medical service, like HIV medications, hormones, PrEP, or gender-affirming care.
• Among LGBTQ Coloradans, nearly a third make less than $40,000 a year, and transgender people make less, on average, than non-transgender people (OCEF Needs Assessment, 2016).