A Prayer For Transgender Day Of Remembrance

Today, let us pray to whatever Universal energy, whatever God, whatever entity we feel resonates most with our intentions. Let us remember to hold space for all the trans people that have unfairly lost their lives due to discrimination, due to violence and due to the indifference of those who remain silent.

Universe allows us to tap into the consciousness of our purpose on the earth while we vibrate in the light. Let us fully understand the responsibility that we as the living have to our ancestors as they carry us on their shoulders and let us carry the legacy of our siblings in the movement.

As we live on, Allah/God/Creator, light the pathway into the next level of our transcendence here on the earth. 

Allow us to have blessed reassurance in the power that you have given us to be healers. We speak power and truth into the living, today. Allow us to know that we are powerful beyond the flesh. We will no longer be connected by our pain, by our tragedy, but by the ever flowing, never ending power of love that vibrates deep inside of us.

We will not allow fear to suppress our voice and hate to dictate our time on earth. Consume us with the very essence of love and let it be the number one weapon we use to combat the darkness that rules the earth. Let it be that same consumption of love that over takes us as we support and uplift one another as a community.

Let us remember when we leave this day that we will not only speak the names of trans people, trans people of color and specifically trans women of color when they have been murdered by systems of transmisogyny, but we will also hold sacred their talents while they walk among us.

We will remember the names of the ancestors that have come before us.

We will remember Sylvia Rivera, Mrs. Lucy Hicks Anderson, Brandon Teena, Tyra Hunter, Min. Bobbie Jean Baker, and ask that they hold tight with comfort Islan Nettles, Erika Keels, Tiffany Edwards, Gizzy Fowler and all trans people that have left us too soon.

Let us acknowledge the tireless work of those in the spotlight despite the lack of opportunities laid before them and the misplaced anger thrown their way, like Laverne Cox, Janet Mock & Carmen Carrera. Let us also acknowledge the many more fighting for visibility for themselves and others, and the mere ability for all our survival like activists Reina Gossett, LaSaia Wade, Demet Demir, Michael David Battle, Pinky Sikder, Lourdes Ashley Hunter, Christian Axavier Lovehall, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, Tiq Milan and Cater Brown; faith leaders like Carmarion D. Anderson, Fe Harris and Louis Mitchell; academics like Dr. C. Riley Snorton, Fatemeh Javaheri, Kai M. Green; performers like Tona Brown, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi and Kavindu Ade; media makers like Katrina Goodlett and Sasha Alexander, artists like Wriply M. Bennet and Aaryn Lang; entrepreneurs like Kortney Ryan Ziegler.

When we raise our voice in honor of trans people, we will find the force of our own spirits to act in solidarity and to speak with confidence.

Let us find the force of our own spirits to make space where there are walls. 

We will fight for the rights of all trans people not just in death, but in making a way to live.

Photo via flickr user Daniel Gregory