Transgender Day of Remembrance to be held in Leeds marking lives lost to transphobic violence

Leeds Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held in the city today (Wednesday) honouring those who have been hurt or died at the hands of anti-transgender violence.

Various organisations in the city which work with and support the transgender community are to gather at Leeds General Infirmary in the evening with a pop-up exhibition and a candlelight vigil.

Our Space and Non-Binary Leeds are two of the organisations which have joined forces with the Leeds and York NHS Partnership to host the event, which will be at the Great George Street entrance to the hospital.

Kate Ward, who works with the Trust and founded LGBT charity the Rainbow Alliance, has been actively involved in the event for the past three years.

She said: “The continued violence experienced by this community worldwide is harrowing and we must observe this poignant day to reflect and remember this.

"As a mental health professional, I am all too aware of how profound the psychological impact of hate crime and anti-trans violence is. Our trans and non-binary communities are at a significantly increased risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviour – it’s a deeply saddening disparity.

"Personally, I’m committed to addressing these disparities as part of the work of the Rainbow Alliance network I co-created within my NHS organisation.

"We all need to take a stand against the transphobia-based violence which our trans and gender-diverse communities are subjected to every day and make the world a safer place for them to live their lives.”

A pop-up exhibition, refreshments and buffet will be held at the Great George Street entrance between 6pm and 7.45pm, which will be followed by speakers from organisations supporting the trans and non-binary community.

There will also be a candlelit vigil in Park Square at 8pm commemorating lives lost to anti-transgender violence and hate crime.

The event is open for all to attend and pay their respects.