Trans Day of Remembrance Panel 2022: Recap and Highlights

In honor of Trans Awareness Week, we recently hosted a panel reflecting on the importance of celebrating and remembering the lives lost in the fight for trans equality and freedom. Speakers from various organizations joined to offer their individual experiences, discussing what Trans Remembrance Day means to them, the challenges they have overcome, and what advice they have for members and allies of the trans community.

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Trans ally Kevin Lyons (Senior Humans Resources Manager at Pearson) led the discussion, asking the panelists about their experiences and the significance of this commemorative day. Answering his questions were Georgina Partington (Software Developer at Valtech), Alexandra Austin (Diversity Inclusion and Wellbeing Partner at Brewin Dolphin), Brae DeRocher (Senior Project Manager at FIS), Megan Steven (Human Rights Defender at None), and Liam Paschall (Associate Director at Parexel International).

Everyone involved was kind enough to share their transitioning story, each with a completely different journey to the next. It was as empowering as it was disheartening to hear about the perseverance and strength required for our panelists to simply live as their true, authentic selves. Megan Steven provided a perspective from Malaysia, discussing how difficult it is to access adequate healthcare as a trans woman there.

“To meet a psychiatrist is not easy because it costs a lot,” she explains. “Most trans people could not afford it. Even if you can speak to a psychiatrist, they will advise you to have conversion therapy. They brainwash you.”

The panel discussed the importance of celebrating Trans Day of Remembrance and what the occasion means to them. Many spoke out about the sheer loss of life occurring in the trans community, whether it's through thoughtless violence or being driven to suicide, and see the day as an opportunity to reflect upon these losses. Liam Paschall notes that the day should be used as a reminder to keep on fighting for equality and justice.

“On Trans Day of Remembrance, we’ve got to honor those we’ve lost, but also honor the fact that our community is not going away,” Liam discussed. “We’re proud of who we are, we’re going to stick together and we’re going to fight it out.”

Brae DeRocher added his own thoughts, recognizing that it’s important to take a stand where others may not be able to. “Everybody is different no matter where we are within the world,” he said. “Families differ, culture differs. It’s important we recognize that