TDOR Vigil Liturgy

Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil Liturgy

Time to Remember

History and Authors

The ‘Time to Remember’ vigil was developed in 2004 as a commemoration event organised by LGBT Youth, the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing and Metropolitan Community Church, Edinburgh. Authors of this service:
Lewis Payne, a gay transmen, a member of MCC Edinburgh
Maxwell Reay from LGBT Youth
Tony Stevenson, from the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing
Edited by: Melanie Martinez and Angel Collie, Co-Leaders, MCC Transgender Resource Team

Introduction to Vigil

Transgender Day of Remembrance began in 1999 as a result of the increasing anti-transgender violence and discrimination. The first memorial event was held in November 1999 to remember and honour Rita Hester, who was murdered on murdered on November 28th, 1998 in Boston, USA. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — is still unsolved.

The vigil will provide a time of remembrance and a time of solidarity/celebration. In preparation, collect names from your local community and region by soliciting names and stories within your congregation. You may also seek further reports and names from www.RememberingOurDead.org.

We also honor and celebrate the steps forward we have made individually, as a community, and around the globe toward the liberation of all transgender people. Seek advances in legislation, law enforcement, large company benefits, etc. as a measure of our accomplishments. Also, collect the personal stories of the “little” triumphs regarding gender in our lives (a family member’s acceptance, a doctor found, a church community outreach, etc.)…they all add up to great movements.

Bulletin begins on next page…

How the Vigil will Work

The vigil will begin with remembrance of those who have experienced anti-transgender violence and discrimination. We will read the names of those we have been asked to remember and light candles in their honor. Then there will be an opportunity for you to name those who have experienced violence and discrimination, by saying a name and lighting a candle.

The second part of the vigil will focus on our journey to liberation. We will name the achievements of the past year and light candles to honour those who have made these achievements possible. There will be an opportunity for you to remember successes and to light candles to honour these achievements – these can be any thing you like they might be about coming out, naming, taking hormones, dressing in the manner of your own choice for the first time – whatever you feel.

Throughout there will be periods of silence and periods with music playing. This is our space to use as we choose, so please join in and make it yours.

Act of Remembrance

Music

Leader:

George Santayana said,

“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”

A wise person said:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose in all creation:

A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to cast away;

A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time for war, And a time for peace.”

And this, is our time to remember.

We remember:
Leader, please say the names of those you honor and where they come from. Enter the names of people raised by your congregation and your own research. Separate every few names by the phrase “We light a candle to honor them” to give time to the liturgy. The Music selection, “Sacrifice,” may play during your naming and candlelighting, though you may want to consider offering these names and ritual in silence and following with the music selections as meditation.

Name (or “An unknown transperson”) in City, Province (State)/Country

We light a candle to honor them

Name (or “An unknown transperson”) in City, Province (State)/Country

We light a candle to honor them

Music

Leader: Please pray with me. Loving God, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them. (Psalm 10:17-18, New Living Translation, inclusive)

Music

Leader:

This is a time to celebrate our journey towards liberation and full human rights. After each section please say names and light candles as you wish.

We lift up all those who have gone before us to bring about the full human rights of transgender people and all other oppressed groups