On Thursday, November 20th, Hate Free Outagamie will be holding our Second Annual Vigil to Honor Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR). Hate Free Outagamie is a grassroots advocacy organization focusing on LGBTQIA+ rights. The vigil will take place at Houdini Plaza at 7 p.m. This year with many more sponsors, including Fox Valley Pride, ESTHER, Green Bay Anti-War Committee, Fair Wisconsin, Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Diverse & Resilient, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Northeast Wisconsin Rainbow Collective, Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative, Vivent and The Book Store.
Transgender Day of Remembrance started in 1999 after the murder of Rita Hester – a transgender woman – was killed in her home in Allston, Massachusetts.¹ Every year on November 20th, TDOR is celebrated to honor both Rita Hester and other transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals murdered in the past year. So far in 2025, the Human Rights Campaign has reported at least 32 murdered transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people.²
Our TDOR Vigil will be featuring speeches from various sponsor organizations, educational speeches and literature for attendees to learn more and join other local advocacy groups, and an accepting and loving space for community members to connect and support each other. Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, many of our elected officials, including representatives from Wisconsin, push forth legislation that would directly harm and disrupt day to day life for countless transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals.
At our TDOR Vigil this year, Hate Free Outagamie is pleased to update the public on the progress of our campaign establishing Outagamie County as a Trans Healthcare Sanctuary County. Specific details regarding the current state of the Trans Healthcare Sanctuary County will be announced at the vigil. The online version of our petition can be found using this link.
All are invited to our Vigil Honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance, including LGBTQIA+ community members, their families, and all allies. A copy of our event flyer can be found in this email, and further questions can be directed at either Brent Lantagne or Morgan Gald, Hate Free Outagamie Outreach Chair.