Trans Awareness Week:
Why It Matters – and How Communities Are Showing Up Around the World
photo credit: Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
Why Trans Awareness Week Exists
Trans Awareness Week didn’t appear out of nowhere - it grew directly from the activism that created Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR was founded in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor the life of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman murdered in 1998, and to acknowledge all trans people lost to anti-trans violence. The memorial sparked a global movement, and over time, the community created a full week leading into TDOR to broaden the focus beyond mourning alone.
Every November, Trans Awareness Week marks a vital stretch of days dedicated to visibility, education, and solidarity for transgender and gender-diverse people.
Today, Trans Awareness Week (Nov 13–19) exists to raise visibility, share lived experiences, and confront the realities trans people face that rarely make it past political noise or sensational media. These include systemic barriers in healthcare, employment, housing, education, immigration, and everyday safety - issues that shape daily life long before headlines ever do.
The week is intentionally forward-facing: it invites people to learn about the community, celebrate trans joy and culture, support trans-led organizations, and understand the conditions that make TDOR necessary in the first place. It acts as both a lead-up to the memorial and a call to action - grounding the remembrance in context, community, and a push toward a safer world.
Global Trans Awareness Week Events & TDOR Gatherings
Trans Awareness Week is marked around the world, but the way communities show up varies widely-shaped by culture, safety, resources, and local activism.
From educational series to street-level marches to solemn TDOR vigils, these events reflect both the diversity and the shared resilience of trans communities everywhere.
Here’s the list of Trans Awareness Week and TDOR events you can find in the SuperQueer app-plus a few more happening around the world.
NORTH AMERICA (U.S., CANADA, MEXICO)
Point of Pride Virtual Series (U.S.)
A week of virtual sessions for Trans Awareness Week covering financial literacy, film screening + conversation, Trans Voice 101, community letter-writing, and affirming fitness workshops.
- Date & Time: Various times
Thursday, November 13th - Friday, November 14th
Monday, November 17th - Tuesday November 18th - Location: Online (USA)
- Point of Pride
UC Davis – TDOR Vigil & March (U.S.)
On-campus vigil and remembrance march featuring a memorial altar, sign-making, and community space honoring lives lost to anti-trans violence.
- Date & Time: 11:00 am 1:00 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, UC Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA
- UC Davis – TDOR Vigil & March
The Center (San Diego) – TDOR: Honoring Trans Lives (U.S.)
Candlelight vigil with speakers, performances, community resources, and remembrance for trans lives lost.
- Date & Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: The Center, 3909 Centre Street, San Diego, CA
- The Center SD
The 519 Community Centre – Toronto TDOR (Canada)
One of Canada’s largest annual TDOR gatherings, featuring speakers, readings, community mourning, and trans-led cultural programming.
- Date & Time: 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: The 519, 519 Church Street, Toronto, ON, Canada
Virtually, via Zoom– RSVP via Zoom is required to receive the Zoom link. - the519
Remembranza Trans y NB 2025 (Mexico)
A community-led vigil honoring trans and nonbinary lives lost to violence. The gathering includes candle-lighting, collective remembrance, and a call for safety and dignity for all.
- Date & Time: 6:00 pm
Wednesday, November 26th, 2025 - Location: Explanada del Gobierno del Estado de Baja California (Carr. Transpeninsular, Ex-Ejido Chapultepec, Ensenada, B.C.)
- Remembranza Trans y NB 2025
LATIN AMERICA (Central America, South America, Caribbean)
Archivo de la Memoria Trans – Buenos Aires (Argentina)
A long-running, trans-led TDoR vigil honoring lives lost to anti-trans violence. The event has shifted locations for community safety and continues as a space for remembrance, resistance, and candle-lighting in memory of those we’ve lost.
- Date & Time: 6:00 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: Plaza Roberto Arlt, Rivadavia, Esmeralda y, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Archivo de la Memoria Trans
Fundación GAAT – Bogotá (Colombia)
A landmark TDoR gathering bringing trans memory into the heart of Congress for the first time. The vigil centers remembrance, dignity, and a call for national protection of trans lives, held alongside the introduction of the Integral Trans Law.
- Date & Time: 6:00 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: Congress of the Republic - Plazoleta Tomás Cipriano of Mosquera and Arboleda
- Fundación GAAT
EUROPE
University of York – Trans Awareness Week & TDOR (UK)
University-wide events including a flag-raising, educational programming, trans-led forums, and a half-day TDoR conference focused on remembrance, safety, and dignity.
- Date & Time: Various Times
November 13th – 19th (TAW) + November 20th (TDOR), 2025 - Location: University of York, UK
- University of York
ACCEPTESS – France
A national TDoR gathering focused on remembrance and truth-telling. This year’s vigil centers a Trans Deaths Census, collecting the names of trans people in France whose lives were lost to murder, suicide, overdose, or HIV/AIDS-related causes. The event calls the community to witness, contribute names, and help build an accurate record of trans lives taken by systemic violence.
University of Plymouth – Plymouth, England (UK)
A trans-led service for TDoR: we hold space, name the lost, affirm that trans lives matter and deserve peace.
- Date & Time: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: Roland Levinsky Building, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom
- University of Plymouth
Mission TRANS & City of Stuttgart – Stuttgart, (Germany)
A public memorial on the pedestrian zone of Königstraße: we remember trans folks lost to transphobic violence and send a clear message: we will not be erased.
- Date & Time: 5:30 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: Königstraße70173 Stuttgart, Germany
- Mission TRANS & City of Stuttgart
ASIA–PACIFIC
Trans Month Australia – Melbourne TDOR Vigil (Australia)
A month-long program of Trans Awareness Week events culminating in a community TDoR vigil. The gathering includes readings, candle-lighting, and collective reflection, closing out a full month dedicated to visibility, education, and honoring trans lives lost.
- Date & Time: 5:30 pm
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 - Location: Collingwood Town Hall, Brunswick, Victoria
- Trans Month
AFRICA
EATHAN – East Africa Regional Trans Awareness Week Campaign
A week of learning, visibility, and community care leading into TDoR. The series highlights trans and gender-diverse voices across East Africa, with daily content on mental health, safety, schools, legal recognition, funding, accountability, and remembrance. Join the conversations across their online platforms and newsletter as they build toward November 20 with collective knowledge and solidarity.
- Date & Time: November 13th – 19th, 2025
- Location: Virtual, East Africa region
- EATHAN
GLOBAL / VIRTUAL
Allyship to Trans & Non-Binary People
A 90-minute session designed to strengthen everyday allyship through clear, evidence-based talking points. The workshop tackles the myths driving today’s anti-trans climate, offers tools for real conversations, and centers actionable steps to support trans and nonbinary people. Open to everyone—whether you’re learning, advocating, or building skills to show up with more clarity and impact.
- Date & Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm PST
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 - Location: Online
- Allyship to Trans & Non-Binary People
What’s Your TAW + TDoR Connection?
Trans Awareness Week and TDoR aren’t just dates on a calendar—they’re a living archive of who we are, what we’ve survived, and the people we refuse to forget. Share the moments, icons, memories, and stories that shaped you. DM us or tag us on your socials so we can help lift them up.
Your voice keeps our history visible, honors those we’ve lost, and strengthens the community standing here now. Every shared story becomes part of our collective memory—and a reminder that trans lives deserve safety, dignity, and celebration every single day.
~ XO, SuperQueer
