Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and activists and organizations discussed what the day means to them.

Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality said that preventing violence is about a lot more than laws against violence – it’s about creating a system of respect and equality.

Every year we are asked by friends and allies what they can do — what anyone can do — to prevent these tragedies. Laws that protect the rights of transgender people are a start. But each of these 26 beautiful lives also deserved a community they could trust, and a society in which they could safely be themselves. But it’s understandable that people who are isolated from and alienated by their communities will not trust that community. People who are routinely abused by the police, as so many transgender people of color are, will not trust the police. People who are disregarded, invalidated, and erased by their government will not trust their government. This failure to protect and serve some of the most vulnerable people in our country today encourages this violence. It provokes this violence. It renders too many transgender people of color invisible, their lives and struggles only noticed once their blood has spilled. Today, as we remember those lost to hate and prejudice, we must recommit ourselves to real, lasting, and life-saving change. So welcome transgender people into your community. If you are hiring, hire transgender people. If you are a parent or a teacher, push for policies that keep transgender youth in school. And if you work in law enforcement, fight for training, fight for sound policies, and fight to give meaning to the oath you swore to protect and serve. None of us can ignore prejudice and hate without promoting prejudice and hate, therefore it is incumbent on all of us to fight for a better today. We must fight like the lives of transgender people depend on it because the lives of transgender people do depend on it.

On social media, ILGA remembered the 369 transgender people killed worldwide this past year.

Today is #TransDayOfRemembrance, and we remember those whom we lost to transphobic violence. We mourn their deaths, we honour their lives, and we continue to fight. #TDoR #TDoR2018 #20nov pic.twitter.com/QIs4Ss2orV — ILGA (@ILGAWORLD) November 20, 2018

HRC and the ACLU remembered the transgender people killed this year in the United States.

.@HRC’s report explores factors that can contribute to or facilitate fatal anti-trans violence. In many cases, systemic discrimination at the intersection of gender identity & race lead to significant barriers to employment & housing. #TDOR https://t.co/kum286fw38 — Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 20, 2018

We will honor their lives with action. #TDOR pic.twitter.com/TKx6es1vti — ACLU of Maryland (@ACLU_MD) November 19, 2018

Others highlighted incarceration as a source of oppression.

Tomorrow is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year we seek to highlight those experiences of those amongst us who are most criminalised, policed, detained & incarcerated. #TDoR #TDoR2018 #abolishprisons #trans

[📹Watch with subtitles in English on: https://t.co/9D7MoZpips] pic.twitter.com/ti0C19bBPp — TGEU (Transgender Europe) (@TGEUorg) November 19, 2018

The TvT TMM #TDoR2018 update has revealed a total of 2982 reported murders of trans and gender-diverse people in 72 countries worldwide between 1 January 2008 and 30 September 2018. More info: https://t.co/RVsBcM9uTh pic.twitter.com/Q3AYPlbPFe — Transrespect (@TransRespect) November 14, 2018

On social media, activists posted artwork to express what the day means to them.

There will haters, there will be non-believers and even doubters. Then there’s you. Proving them wrong. #TransDayOfRemembrance #TDOR pic.twitter.com/sd9W8ovamq — Joe McGurk 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈 (@JoeMcGurk94) November 20, 2018

On Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience, I honor the visionary leadership of trans activists in the US South. #TDOR #TDOR2018 pic.twitter.com/99x3OgSNUK — Mandy Van Deven (@mandyvandeven) November 20, 2018