International Day for Tolerance
Culture/religion: International observance
Date: November 16
In 1996, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 51/95 proclaiming November 16 as International Day for Tolerance. Following this, UNESCO’s member states adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, recognizing that tolerance is a respect and appreciation for the rich variety of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance recognizes the universal human right and fundamental freedoms of others.
Sources:
International Day for Tolerance, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Culture/religion: National observance
Date: November 20
Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance honoring the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. This vigil commemorated all of the transgender people lost since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important annual tradition.
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