The 21st annual Trans-Giving Dinner was held on November 20th at the Unique Woman’s Coalition (UWC) in West Hollywood.
The UWC’s “Trans-Giving Dinner; an annual Transgender Thanksgiving Dinner” is an event geared to provide a full course traditional holiday dinner in a safe social environment among Trans-Identified community members, allies and their loved one’s held this year on the same day as Transgender Day of Remembrance.
TransGiving was launched in 1999 when Demuir realized how emotionally difficult the upcoming holiday would be for her and many of her friends and decided to do something about it.
She and three friends made a meal of turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and candied yams. They put the food out on card tables set up near Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where members of the community typically gathered.
They served about 30 people that year and a tradition was born. The next year, the dinner was officially named TransGiving.
This years dinner was attended by over 100 people and the event was sponsored by The UCW, The City of West Hollywood,Flux, AMAAD Institute, The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center, Redline and DTLA Proud.
The UWC is dedicated to being a collective voice centering on the narratives and needs of Black Trans culture. We’re committed to fostering the next generation of black trans leadership from within the community through mentorship, scholarship, and community care engagement work.
