Trans Day of Remembrance

On 20th Nov, it was the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR). In preparing for this week’s post, I looked for interesting stories relating to this day. I struggled. In March, there is TDOV, Trans Day of Visibility, and a whole host of photo essays surrounding that date. Remembrance is harder to photograph, though. It’s harder to take the photos we wished we could have taken, the ones we knew we should have, but there was always tomorrow, so it slipped our mind.

In my years as a photographer, I’ve photographed four funerals. My parents, my uncle and my father-in-law. These devastating events forced people together, so I photographed them. There was sadness, joy, human connection and a strong reminder not to wait because there may not be a tomorrow. Of course, in that moment, I am aware of that fact and a month later, as the chaos of life engulfs me, I will have slipped back into believing that we have infinite time. I will forget to photograph. It won’t be as urgent.

It is urgent, though. More people were on this year’s TDOR list than last. So, while I tried and failed to find many interesting TDOR-related photo essays, there were ones about being trans, and they are important to remember.

This work by Mark Seliger is strong. It's down to earth and simply shot with one light on the streets of New York. /via PopPhoto

This series by Jackie Dives reminds me that a good photo simply needs a camera. Don't over think. Just photograph. The gear is miles away from the Hassleblad used by Mark Seliger in his street portraits, but again is down to earth and relatable.

If you'd like to see more, there's a great article on Feature Shoot about "Celebrating Transgender History Through Photography" that I recommend.