A public vigil will be held on November 20 at 4:00 PM on the green in front of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance — the annual worldwide observance honoring transgender people whose lives were lost due to anti-transgender violence.

The event is being organized collaboratively with support from Cape Ann Pride and the Associated Clergy of Cape Ann.

The observance will open with brief welcoming remarks to frame the gathering and represent the collaboration between local clergy and Cape Ann Pride. The program will include poetry, song, prayer, and a recitation of the names of those trans people who were lost to violence or suicide in the past year.

If there is severe weather, the vigil may move inside the Gloucester UU Church building.

Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999, founded by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, and is observed internationally each year on November 20 to memorialize those murdered as a result of transphobia.

Organizers note that assistance is welcome — volunteers are invited to arrive at 3:30 PM to help with set-up.

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