On Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, the nation took a moment to mourn and honor transgender Americans who have lost their lives.
According to a statement released by The White House, “at least 46 transgender Americans were killed by acts of fatal violence to date this year.”
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“The Biden-Harris Administration mourns those we lost in the deadliest year on record for transgender Americans, as well as the countless other transgender people—disproportionately transgender women and girls of color—who face brutal violence, discrimination, and harassment,”
a statement from the WH's website read.
Other notable dignitaries, such as Second Gentlemen Douglas Emhoff and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also provided remarks on the importance of the day via Twitter.
The following is an NBC News report, reflecting on rising violence against the community, as well as the anti-trans bills becoming law.
On Saturday, Que Bell will help lead a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance to honor the memory of transgender homicide victims that began in 1999.
Bell has led these vigils before. He is the executive director of the Knights and Orchids Society, a nonprofit group based in Selma, Alabama, that supports Black transgender, queer and gender-nonconforming people, and he has been an advocate for more than a decade. But this year will be different.
“This is literally the first time that I’ll have to write down my best friend’s name for a TDOR celebration,” Bell said, using the initialism for Transgender Day of Remembrance. “It’s really going to hit differently.”
For more on this story, visit NBCNews.com.