“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice,”
– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Metropolitan College of New York’s Purpose-Centered Education was founded in 1964 to promote social justice through higher education. Our community of students, faculty, staff and alumni continue these efforts to advance this work across all channels.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed annually on November 20th as a day to memorialize those who have been lost as a result of transphobia. Started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, it was a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This year at MCNY, we will be observing Transgender Day of Remembrance between November 15 – November 18. We ask the MCNY community to join us at any time in the Commons areas at the Manhattan or Bronx Campuses as we:

  • Light a candle to remember
  • Wear a pin to express support
  • Express support on social media
  • Make a commitment to educating ourselves and others to end violence in transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming communities

Please join us as we remember…

Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community – Learn, Help and Support

Learn more about becoming an ally from the Trevor Project.

Educate yourself and others by sharing these animations from AMAZE.org. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulty in finding housing resources for the LGBTQIA+ community, here are some agencies that can help:

  • Housing Works – Housing is available to eligible individuals living with HIV; people of transgender experience living with HIV; single men and women with active substance use issues; HIV-positive single women recently released from a correctional setting; and HIV-positive unstably housed LGBTQ youth (18-24). We also offer supportive, affordable housing for families where the head-of-household is living with HIV.
  • NYC Housing Connect – New Yorkers’ portal to find and apply for affordable housing opportunities across the five boroughs of New York City.
  • NYCHA – Public housing is government-owned housing that is available to certain low-income individuals and families through the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
  • Section 8/Rental Subsidy Programs – Section 8, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, provides federal funding for subsidies that help eligible low-income families rent decent, safe, and affordable housing in a neighborhood of their choice.

If you or someone you know needs services related to child welfare, here are resources from the Child Welfare Information Gateway and Children’s Bureau. These national organizations have made it their mission to support, represent, and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) groups that share a focus on child and youth welfare issues. Use this link to view the list.