By Rachel Kish, junior Social Work major

Annually on November 20, the transgender lives taken by violent acts of hate catalyzed by transphobia are remembered on what is called “Transgender Day of Remembrance.” Being transgender means “denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender,” according to Dictionary.com. Essentially, our trans* friends do not identify with the gender that is generally associated with their biological sex.

This concept can be hard to grasp for those who are not transgender themselves, but rest assured—whether or not someone is trans* won’t affect you, your lifestyle, or how you should treat them or act around them. The only thing you should be doing is letting them know you support them, as you hopefully would with any other person telling you something personal, exciting, and new.

Tragically, a transgender person is being murdered every 29 hours somewhere around the world, according to PlanetTransgender.com. This November 20, set time aside to tell a transgender friend, family member, or acquaintance that you love them, and take a moment to remember the lives of the trans* people taken in 2016, including:

Brandi Bledsoe, 32, from Cleveland, Ohio

Jazz Alford, 30, from Birmingham, Alabama

T.T. Saffore, 28, from Chicago, Illinois

Erykah Tijerina, 36, from El Paso, Texas

Dee Whigam, 25, from Biloxi, Mississippi

Deeniquia Dodds, 22, from Washington D.C.

Amos Beede, 38, from Burlington, Vermont

Tyreece “Reecey” Walker, 32, from Wichita, Kansas

Shante Isaac, 34, from Houston, Texas

Kedarie Johnson, 16, from Burlington, Iowa

Maya Young, 24, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kayden Clarke, 24, from Mesa, Arizona

Monica Loera from Austin, Texas

Jasmine Sierra, 53, from Bakersfied, California

Demarkis Stansberry, 30, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum, 32, from Los Angeles, California

Keyonna Blakeney, 22, from Montgomery County, Maryland

Mercedes Successful, 32, from Haines City, Florida

Goddess Diamond, 20, from New Orleans, Louisiana

Skye Mockabee, 26, from Cleveland, Ohio

Rae’Lynn Thomas, 28, from Columbus, Ohio

Crystal Edmonds, 32, from Baltimore, Maryland

The list comes from an article published on http://www.advocate.com entitled “These Are the Trans People Killed in 2016.”