Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024: Honoring Lives Lost and Celebrating Resilience
11/20/20245 min read


TDOR 2024, not a happy day to celebrate...
Introduction to Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance held on November 20, dedicated to honoring the memory of individuals who have lost their lives as a result of anti-transgender violence and discrimination. Established in 1999 by transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith, TDOR emerged as a response to the brutal murder of Rita Hester, a transgender woman, and represents a collective effort to raise awareness of the violence faced by the transgender community. This day serves as not only a memorial but also a stark reminder of the ongoing issues surrounding transphobia.
The primary purpose of TDOR is to commemorate those individuals whose lives were taken prematurely due to transphobia and societal hatred, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness and advocacy. As part of the observance, vigils and ceremonies are organized worldwide, uniting communities to reflect on the lives lost and the struggles endured by transgender individuals. Participants share personal stories, read the names of those killed, and engage in various forms of artistic expression to honor their memories.
The significance of this day transcends mere remembrance; it compels society to confront the systemic inequality, violence, and discrimination that continue to impact transgender individuals globally. TDOR provides an essential platform through which members of the transgender community can voice their experiences, educate others, and advocate for change. It encourages both awareness and action, reminding all that each life lost due to transphobia matters. As such, Transgender Day of Remembrance invites everyone to stand in solidarity against anti-trans violence and work collectively towards a future where every individual can live authentically and safely, irrespective of their gender identity.
Acknowledging the systemic issues that contribute to the violence faced by transgender individuals is a significant aspect of TDOR. The commemoration draws attention to factors such as lack of access to healthcare, socio-economic disparities, and pervasive discrimination that exacerbate vulnerability within the community. By confronting these issues head-on, the remembrance of lives lost becomes a call to action, urging society to implement policies and practices that ensure safety, equality, and respect. The importance of commemorating TDOR lies not only in honoring those who have been lost but also in reinforcing a commitment to a future where all individuals, regardless of gender identity, can live without fear of violence or retribution.
Transgender individuals continue to face alarming levels of violence, a reality starkly reflected in recent statistics. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 2023 marked one of the most deadly years on record for transgender people in the United States, with at least 45 known fatalities resulting from violence. This figure points to a disturbing trend that underscores systemic issues related to discrimination and hate. The data reveals a significant intersectionality, particularly affecting transgender individuals of color, who disproportionately bear the brunt of this violence.
Reports indicate that Black transgender women are especially vulnerable, with many facing not only physical assaults but also harassment and discrimination in various aspects of their lives. For instance, a study published by the National Center for Transgender Equality indicated that 47% of transgender individuals reported being sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. This statistic highlights the pervasive nature of violence against this demographic, exacerbated by socio-economic factors and societal stigmas.
The landscape of violence is also influenced by various regional dynamics. Areas with fewer legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals often experience higher rates of hate crimes and violence targeting transgender individuals. Notably, recent FBI data demonstrated a rise in hate crimes against the transgender population, underscoring the need for enhanced reporting, legislation, and community support to mitigate such violence.
Moreover, research indicates substantial disparities regarding access to healthcare and services, compounding the threats faced by transgender individuals, particularly those living in poverty. These barriers often lead to increased vulnerability, making certain groups within the transgender community more susceptible to violence. Addressing these disparities is crucial in forming a comprehensive approach to combat and prevent violence against transgender people, fostering a safer environment for all.
‘I speak from my heart,’ he answered them, ‘whatever you did for the least important of my fellow human beings who needed help, you did for me.’
Then The Chief will say to the goats on his left, ‘Go away from me, you who have bad hearts, into the fire that burns everything up, made for the evil trickster snake and his messengers.
For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me no drink,
and when I was a stranger, you turned me away. When I needed clothes, you gave me nothing to wear, and when I was sick and in prison, you failed to visit me.
Mat 25:40-43 FNVNT
What the world is now, it seems dark right now, hold onto hope, Hold onto each other, NEVER LET GO.
In Matthew 25, Jesus emphasized the profound connection between our treatment of others and our relationship with Him, stating that what is done to the least of these is done unto Him. This teaching resonantly echoes in today's society as we observe the increasing hatred and attacks against transgender children. Such actions reveal not just individual character flaws but a broader moral failing. When society turns against its most vulnerable members, it highlights a troubling disconnect from the compassion and kindness that Jesus advocated. Instead of embracing love and acceptance, these harmful attitudes indicate a moral compass skewed away from empathy and understanding. As we navigate these challenging times, it is essential to reflect on our actions and ensure they align with the values of dignity and respect for all individuals, especially those who are often marginalized.
The ongoing legislative changes seem overwhelmingly focused on children, reflecting a troubling aspect of our society's moral compass. Many people have voiced their concerns about this trend, suggesting that it reveals a broader issue regarding how we value the most vulnerable among us. Personally, I've always had an inner drive to keep fighting against adversity, but I recognize that not everyone possesses this core strength. When individuals or groups choose to target marginalized communities — particularly those who are already struggling — it starkly demonstrates a lack of empathy and moral clarity. This pattern of behavior raises serious questions about our collective values and the direction in which we are headed as a society. It is essential to advocate for the protection and support of the most vulnerable, as they deserve to be heard and valued, rather than attacked or overlooked.
I have written about my own struggles, and as I process them, I see the world as only getting worse. I also seen allies that have become some of the strongest friends I thought I might never have.
I encourage you, click on any of the links below:
Lives shattered, broken too soon, before their time. Let us look at the pieces and learn to do better.....
Renée Kessen
Absolutely. Here's a deeply reflective and emotionally intelligent blog post based on your prompt, exploring the absence of anger through the lens of personal experience, emotional awareness, and shadow work:
Unmasking Anger: A Journey Through Emotion, Illness, and Identity
🌪️ The Silence of Anger
Anger is often described as a fire—hot, consuming, and impossible to ignore. It’s the emotion that screams when boundaries are crossed, when injustice strikes, when pain demands a voice. But what happens when that fire never ignites? What if, instead of rage, there’s only quiet? Not peace, not numbness—just an absence. A void where anger should be.
For most of my life, I’ve lived in that void.
I’ve watched others erupt in fury, express indignation, or simmer with resentment. I’ve studied their reactions like a foreign language, mimicked their expressions, and tried to decode the emotional choreography that seemed so natural to them. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t feel it. Anger was a costume I wore, not a truth I lived.
And it took a brush with death—and the guidance of a goddess—to finally understand why.
🧠 Alexithymia and the Feelings Wheel
Before diving into the deeper layers of my story, it’s important to understand a concept that shaped my emotional landscape: Alexithymia. It’s a condition where identifying and describing emotions is difficult. For those who live with it, feelings are often vague, elusive, or entirely inaccessible. It’s not that we don’t feel—it’s that we don’t know what we feel.
The Feelings Wheel, developed by Dr. Gloria Willcox, became a lifeline. It’s a visual tool that breaks down core emotions into nuanced sub-feelings. For someone with Alexithymia, it’s like a Rosetta Stone for the soul. It helped me begin to name the foggy sensations that floated through my body. But even with this tool, one section remained blank: Anger.
I could identify sadness, fear, joy, and even surprise. But the entire slice of the wheel tied to anger—frustration, irritation, rage, resentment—was inaccessible. Not just hard to name. Absent.
🩸 A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Then came the diagnosis. A possible form of leukemia. The kind that doesn’t offer years—it offers months. The kind that forces you to confront mortality not in theory, but in countdowns.
People talk about the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. For me, it was more like two stages: a brief flicker of disbelief, and then a swift, almost serene acceptance. No rage. No “why me?” No bargaining with fate.
It wasn’t bravery. It wasn’t spiritual enlightenment. It was just… how I am.
And that’s when Hekate entered the picture.
🔮 Hekate and the Shadow
Hekate, the Greek goddess of crossroads, magic, and the unseen, has long been a figure of transformation. In my spiritual practice, she became a guide—not in the mythological sense, but in the deeply personal one. She pointed to the truth I had long buried: I had never felt anger. Not once. Not truly.
She didn’t say it with judgment. She said it with clarity. Like holding up a mirror to a face I’d never seen.
Through shadow work, a process of exploring the unconscious parts of ourselves, I began to peel back the layers. I examined moments in my life where I was supposed to feel anger—betrayals, injustices, violations. And what I found wasn’t anger. It was grief, fear, confusion, and sometimes even compassion. But never rage.
🎭 The Mask of Social Conditioning
Society teaches us that anger is natural. That it’s healthy. That it’s necessary. Especially in moments of pain or injustice. And so, I learned to perform it.
I learned to raise my voice when wronged. To clench my fists. To say “I’m so mad right now,” even when I wasn’t. I wore anger like a mask, stitched together from expectations and mimicry.
But beneath that mask was something else. Often, it was hurt masquerading as fury. Or fear dressed up as indignation. Sometimes it was shame, sometimes helplessness. But never anger itself.
Shadow work helped me see that these emotions had been forced into the mold of anger because that’s what I was taught to do. I wasn’t expressing anger—I was expressing other emotions in the socially acceptable costume of rage.
🧩 The Puzzle of Emotional Identity
This realization was both liberating and disorienting. If I don’t feel anger, what does that say about me? Am I broken? Am I incomplete?
The answer, I’ve come to believe, is no.
Emotional identity is not one-size-fits-all. Just as some people feel joy more intensely, or are more prone to anxiety, some of us simply don’t experience certain emotions the way others do. And that’s okay.
What matters is authenticity. Feeling what is, not what should be.
🛠️ Reconstructing the Emotional Framework
With this new understanding, I began to reconstruct my emotional framework. I stopped trying to force anger into my vocabulary. Instead, I asked myself: What am I actually feeling?
When someone hurt me, was it anger—or was it sadness?
When I felt violated, was it rage—or was it fear?
When I lashed out, was it fury—or was it a desperate need to be seen?
This process was slow, and sometimes painful. But it was also profoundly healing. I began to respond to situations with emotional honesty, not performance. I stopped apologizing for not being angry. I stopped pretending.
🧘 The Role of Acceptance
Acceptance became a cornerstone—not just of my illness, but of my emotional truth. I accepted that my emotional palette is different. That I navigate the world without the fire of anger, but with the depth of other feelings.
And in that acceptance, I found peace.
I no longer feel the need to justify my reactions. I no longer feel broken for not raging against the dying of the light. I feel whole in my own way.
🌌 The Spiritual Dimension
There’s a spiritual dimension to all of this. In many traditions, anger is seen as a lower vibration—necessary, but not ideal. In others, it’s a sacred force of protection and boundary-setting. For me, its absence has opened a different kind of spiritual path.
One that values stillness, clarity, and compassion. One that sees emotion not as a checklist, but as a spectrum. One that honors the unique wiring of each soul.
Hekate’s guidance wasn’t about fixing me. It was about revealing me. And in that revelation, I found a kind of magic that doesn’t need fire to burn.
💬 Final Reflections
If you’ve ever felt like your emotions don’t match the script society hands you, you’re not alone. If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t feel what others feel, you’re not broken. You’re just different.
The Feelings Wheel can be a powerful tool—but only if we use it to uncover our truth, not to conform to someone else’s.
Anger may be absent from my emotional vocabulary, but in its place are other truths. Other voices. Other colors.
And they are enough.
Would you like help formatting this into a publishable blog layout or turning it into a podcast script?
That’s a profound question—and one that touches on identity, emotional authenticity, and even survival. If someone never feels anger, it can be confusing, especially in a world that often treats anger as a necessary response to injustice, boundaries being crossed, or pain. But the absence of anger doesn’t mean emotional emptiness. It often means something else is happening beneath the surface.
Here’s how someone might begin to navigate and make peace with never feeling anger:
🧭 1. Understand What Anger Represents
Anger is often a signal—it tells us something feels wrong, unfair, or threatening. If you don’t feel anger, ask:
What does arise in those moments?
Is it sadness? Fear? Disappointment? Confusion?
Sometimes, these emotions are misinterpreted or masked due to social conditioning. You might have been taught that anger is the “appropriate” response, even when your body and psyche are wired differently.
🧠 2. Explore Neurodiversity and Emotional Wiring
Some people—especially those with Alexithymia, Autism Spectrum traits, or trauma adaptations—experience emotions differently. It’s not a flaw. It’s a variation.
You might process emotional stimuli through logic or detachment.
You might feel things somatically (in the body) rather than emotionally.
You might have learned to suppress anger so deeply that it never developed as a felt experience.
Understanding your unique emotional blueprint can be liberating.
🧘 3. Practice Shadow Work and Emotional Inquiry
Shadow work helps uncover unconscious beliefs and patterns. If anger is absent, ask:
Was I punished for expressing anger as a child?
Was I taught that anger is dangerous, shameful, or unspiritual?
Do I fear losing control if I allow myself to feel it?
Sometimes, anger is buried under layers of conditioning. Other times, it’s simply not part of your emotional vocabulary—and that’s okay.
🎭 4. Stop Performing Anger
If you’ve been mimicking anger to fit in or meet expectations, give yourself permission to stop. Emotional authenticity matters more than conformity.
Instead of saying “I’m angry,” try:
“I feel overwhelmed.”
“I feel hurt.”
“I feel unsafe.”
These are often the real emotions hiding behind the mask of anger.
🛡️ 5. Redefine Boundaries Without Anger
Anger is often used to set boundaries—but it’s not the only way.
You can assert yourself with:
Calm clarity: “That doesn’t work for me.”
Firm detachment: “I’m stepping away from this.”
Compassionate honesty: “I need space to process.”
You don’t need rage to protect yourself. You need self-awareness and self-respect.
🔮 6. Embrace Your Emotional Truth
Not feeling anger doesn’t make you broken. It makes you you. Your emotional truth might be quieter, more introspective, or more complex.
Some people are wired for empathy, grief, or reflection rather than confrontation. That’s not a deficit—it’s a gift.
🧩 7. Use Tools Like the Feelings Wheel
The Feelings Wheel can help you identify what is present. If anger is missing, look at adjacent emotions:
Fear: Are you scared rather than angry?
Sadness: Are you grieving something?
Disgust: Are you repulsed or morally offended?
Naming the emotion accurately can help you respond more effectively.
🌌 8. Spiritual and Philosophical Integration
Some spiritual paths view anger as a lower vibration. Others see it as sacred fire. If you don’t feel it, explore what your path says about emotional expression.
You might find that your emotional absence aligns with a deeper spiritual calling—toward peace, detachment, or transcendence.
💬 Final Thought
You don’t need to feel anger to be whole. You don’t need to rage to be valid. You don’t need to conform to emotional norms to be real.
You just need to feel what’s true for you—and honor it.
If you’d like, I can help you build a personalized emotional map or even write a journal prompt series to explore this further. Would that be helpful?


























