Transgender Day of Remembrance 2025: Mourn for the dead; fight like hell for the living!
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Report by Eilonwy Awen, Trans Representative
Some days, grief and hope sit side by side. Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is one of those days.
It's a time to remember trans people whose lives were taken by violence and discrimination, and to think about the futures they should have had.
It's also a reminder that the world must do better.
- Evgeny Loskutov, Proud National Committee's Black Representative
Content Warning: Suicide
11AM-12, PCS Trans Day of Remembrance event, online
PCS Proud held an online event to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance. We ran a presentation for all PCS members with an introduction to Transgender terms and the problems Trans+ people face. We paid tribute to Rita Hester, Marsha P. Johnson, Brianna Ghey and Lucy Meadows. All of these women were trans and were either murdered or ended their own lives as a result of transphobia.
We paid tribute to all of the reported deaths of Trans+ individuals in the UK from translivesmatter.info including a very heartfelt contribution by Liat Norris, Proud's Secretary.
Saorsa Amatheia Tweedale, Chair of PCS Proud, provided statistics and a message of hope and resilience.
As reported by TGEU's Trans Murder Monitoring Unit, in the last year there have been 282 deaths from the Trans+ community worldwide. The majority of these deaths were sex workers.
Sobering news for all of us who campaign for Trans+ liberation: 14% of deaths were Trans+ rights activists and Trans+ community leaders. Proud believes that this is a deliberate attempt to silence the Trans+ community.
Worldwide: 88% of deaths were from the black community and 22% took place in their own home.
"But those are just statistics", says Saorsa, "we are fighting for the real lives of trans people. As trade unionists, we are all internationalists and intersectional". The struggles of black Trans+ members link with the struggles of the disabled, of cisgender women, of all the working class who are oppressed by capitalism.
Fiona Brittle, NEC member and Proud's National Executive Committee Liaison Officer, presented the idea of 'coalition' rather than 'allyship'. We all work as one in solidarity in the fight for Trans+ liberation. It is ultimately a class issue, as the capitalist class uses discourse around Trans+ lives to divide us all.
1-2PM, PCS Wales LGBT+ Network Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil, Cardiff
Eilonwy Awen (left) and Heledd Muir-McCann (right) speaking at the PCS Wales TDOR rally
The PCS Wales LGBT+ Network held a vigil outside of Tŷ William Morgan, the UK Government hub housing HMRC staff, and also other departments including the DWP, OFSTED and the Secretary of State for Wales.
Eilonwy Awen and Heledd Muir-McCann, Proud's Trans Representative and Disability Representative, respectively, spoke at the event alongside Athena Mann, co-LGBT representative of R&C Wales and member of the PCS Wales LGBT+ Network.
A crowd gathered in central square as speakers called out the shameful leaking of the EHRC's proposed new guidance which threatens to ban Trans+ people from the bathrooms of their affirmed gender on the basis that they do not "pass".
The Network was supported by Cardiff Trades Council who provided the speaker system and supported the event by providing stewards and their banner.
6 - 8pm, Cardiff Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil
In the evening, the Trans+ community in Cardiff held its third vigil in the grounds of Bute Park, supported by Not A Phase, Trans Aid Cymru and Brodies' On The Wall, which provided the space and hot drinks.
A BSL interpreter was present as an orchestra played sombre music, while the names of the fallen in Cardiff were called out and poems were read by Trans+ members of the community.
On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we mourned for the dead - now we fight like hell for the living, within the civil service, PCS and wider society!
This year has proven that the fight for Trans+ liberation is at a crucial point, as up to 25 emergency motions were ruled out of order at the PCS Annual Delegate Conference following the UK Supreme Court ruling in April and changes to guidance threaten the lives all Trans+ members in the civil service.
What can members do?
Join PCS Proud as we combat transphobia in the civil service. PCS Proud holds a monthly members' meeting on every last Tuesday of the month - look out for an email to your personal email.
Hold stalls in your local office, carry out your own presentations on how we can combat Trans+ discrimination in the workplace and encourage other members in your branch to take action in support of Trans+ liberation.
Take a look at Proud's Motion Library for PCS's Trans-inclusive policy.
What's next?
Trans Day of Visibility will take place on 31 March 2026
Trans+ History Week will take place 4–10 May 2026