Today, November 20, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), observed annually in honor of the trans people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-trans violence. TDOR was started in 1999, by Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil in memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in 1998. Since then, November 20 has been a day to mourn those lost to transphobic violence, and to call for better protections from all levels of government for those in the trans community.