OKC hosts 14th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) event
- by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief
Since 2012, the Oklahoma City 2S-LGBTQ+ community has gathered annually on Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), November 20, to honor and remember transgender individuals who have lost their lives to acts of transphobic violence.
This annual observance has grown and evolved over the years. Yet, its core theme remains unshaken: honoring the memory of those taken too soon and standing united against violence. To mark this solemn day, organizers will once again host the annual candlelight vigil.
TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as 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, organizers Robin Dorner, The Gayly Publisher and Kelley Blair with Healing Place are honored to announce a new host for the event: SAIGE (Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities), a division of the Oklahoma Association of Counselors (OAC).
“We are in a mental health crisis, and this hits the 2S-LGBTQ+ communities hard,” said Brandon Horn, M.S., LPC., Board member of OK-SAIG. “Sometimes it’s challenging to locate affirming therapy services. OK-SAIGE conducts training throughout the year for mental health providers to gain knowledge related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
“We look toward a future where Oklahoma has fostered communities where individuals feel safe, valued, and empowered to live authentically,” Horn said.
On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the lives lost to anti-transgender violence and stand in solidarity with transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Our commitment extends beyond remembrance to advocating for a future where every individual can live with dignity, safety, and belonging
As a not-for-profit professional organization, SAIGE dedicatedly works to support, advance, and advocate for 2S-LGBTQ+ affirming counselors and allies across the state.
The organizers are deeply grateful to Pastor Jenny Archer and the community at OKC Evolve Church, a fully affirming congregation, for generously hosting this year’s venue.
“Before 2012, there was not a TDOR event in Oklahoma City,” said Dorner. “I met TDOR’s founder, Gwen Smith, at a journalism conference, and decided that had to change, and we held our first event that November 20.
“Gwen is a kind, humble, amazing individual, and I am honored to call her a friend.”
Dorner reached out to Smith this year for a few words about the event.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence,” Smith said. “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.”
The Oklahoma City event will include a candlelight vigil and recognition of the names of those trans lives we have lost this past year. This year, the event will be held on November 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at OKC Evolve Church, located at 3208 N May Ave in OKC.
Call for Resource Organizations: An affirming resource area will be available for local organizations to share information and provide swag to attendees. There is no cost to organizations or businesses. Still, space is strictly limited, so any organization planning to set up a booth must contact organizers in advance to reserve a spot. For more information or to RSVP for a resource table, please contact Kelley Blair directly at kelleybblair@gmail.com.
The Gayly online. 11/15/26 @ 2:19 p.m. CST.