SDG5
TDoR— NCKU Lights Up in Hope That a Gender-Diverse Society Will Replace Prejudice with Understanding
The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) Candlelight Vigil entered its 12th year in 2025. This year’s event, held at the plaza in front of the Student Activity Center on the first floor of Kuang-Fu Campus, drew over 50 students, faculty, staff, and community partners. Participants gathered on a cool autumn evening, each holding a warm candle to show support and blessings for gender diversity through concrete action. The event aims to continue promoting understanding, respect, and support for gender-diverse communities, creating a campus environment where every member of NCKU can safely and confidently be themselves.
Since 2014, the TDoR candlelight vigil at NCKU has been jointly organized each year around November 20—the International Transgender Day of Remembrance—by the campus gender-friendly student organization TO Lesbians & Queers (TO．拉酷社) and the Gender Equity Education Committee. The ceremony seeks to commemorate transgender individuals whose lives were taken by violence and calls on all members of the university and surrounding community to pay attention to the lived realities of transgender people.
The International Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 commemorates the 1998 murder of transgender woman Rita Hester, symbolizing remembrance and concern for transgender communities. The organizers hope the vigil will remind the public to replace prejudice with understanding so that gender-diverse individuals may live freely and safely in society.
On the evening of November 17, Liang-Yi Hung (洪良宜), Vice President for Student Affairs, attended the event to thank participants for their support and emphasized, “All people are born equal; no one should face discrimination because of their gender.” She noted that as an educational institution with social responsibility, NCKU continues to implement gender equity policies. In recent years, the university has added more gender-inclusive restrooms and, this year, established gender-inclusive dormitories on the Dongning Campus, with the hope of building the most gender-friendly campus in Taiwan through both institutional and infrastructural efforts.
Chia-Jui Chiang (江佳芮), President of TO Lesbians & Queers, pointed out that from 1989 to 2019, the United States still saw at least a dozen transgender individuals lose their lives each year due to gender identity–related violence. She stated that as an important support force for gender diversity, the organization commemorates all victims who suffered violence or exclusion due to their gender identity and hopes to raise awareness of the pressures, stigma, and discrimination faced by transgender communities. She called for rationality and inclusiveness in public discussions of gender issues, especially in an era when social media is filled with overwhelming and emotional information. “Regardless of position or identity, we are all human,” she said, expressing hope that society can prevent future tragedies through greater understanding.
Former TO Lesbians & Queers President Tzu-Hang Yen (顏梓航) also shared that recent hate-filled misinformation arising from misunderstandings on social media has deeply harmed transgender communities. He reminded the public to understand the real experiences of transgender individuals with empathy, instead of projecting social anxiety or crime-related fears onto them. “Transgender people are just like you and me—with bodies, souls, and love.” He encouraged those emotionally affected by online hate speech to take care of their mental well-being, step back from the internet when needed, rest properly, and seek strength from supportive peers.
Professor Shan-Hui Hsu (徐珊惠) of the Department of Physical Education, Health & Recreation, a former member of NCKU’s Gender Equity Committee, also attended the vigil on November 17. She noted that recent regulations in international sports competitions are increasingly unfavorable to transgender athletes, raising concerns about setbacks in gender equality. She urged society to recognize the hidden forms of oppression these policies may create and avoid causing harm under the guise of “maintaining fair competition.”
Kuan-Ju Chen (陳冠儒), the new coordinator of the Gender Equity Education Committee, participated in the TDoR event for the first time. He expressed how moved he was to see so many faculty members and students standing up for transgender communities and looks forward to working together to continue advancing gender equity education.
Yi-Ching Wu (吳怡靜), a long-time coordinator of the Gender Equity Education Committee, has been involved in organizing transgender and gender-diversity events for 12 years. She reflected on the clear shift in social attitudes over the years and recalled that in early years, the event often encountered intentional disruption—for example, posters being torn down or discarded the day after being put up. These acts, although seemingly minor, carried deep humiliation and caused great sadness for the organizing team. Fortunately, through years of effort, campus support for gender diversity has steadily grown, strengthening the resolve to protect every gender-diverse member of the community. “We hope our circle of support continues to grow thicker—until one day, advocacy is no longer necessary because respect and equality have become a daily norm in society.”
Since 2014, the TDoR candlelight vigil at NCKU has been jointly organized each year around November 20—the International Transgender Day of Remembrance—by the campus gender-friendly student organization TO Lesbians & Queers (TO．拉酷社) and the Gender Equity Education Committee. The ceremony seeks to commemorate transgender individuals whose lives were taken by violence and calls on all members of the university and surrounding community to pay attention to the lived realities of transgender people.
The International Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 commemorates the 1998 murder of transgender woman Rita Hester, symbolizing remembrance and concern for transgender communities. The organizers hope the vigil will remind the public to replace prejudice with understanding so that gender-diverse individuals may live freely and safely in society.
On the evening of November 17, Liang-Yi Hung (洪良宜), Vice President for Student Affairs, attended the event to thank participants for their support and emphasized, “All people are born equal; no one should face discrimination because of their gender.” She noted that as an educational institution with social responsibility, NCKU continues to implement gender equity policies. In recent years, the university has added more gender-inclusive restrooms and, this year, established gender-inclusive dormitories on the Dongning Campus, with the hope of building the most gender-friendly campus in Taiwan through both institutional and infrastructural efforts.
Chia-Jui Chiang (江佳芮), President of TO Lesbians & Queers, pointed out that from 1989 to 2019, the United States still saw at least a dozen transgender individuals lose their lives each year due to gender identity–related violence. She stated that as an important support force for gender diversity, the organization commemorates all victims who suffered violence or exclusion due to their gender identity and hopes to raise awareness of the pressures, stigma, and discrimination faced by transgender communities. She called for rationality and inclusiveness in public discussions of gender issues, especially in an era when social media is filled with overwhelming and emotional information. “Regardless of position or identity, we are all human,” she said, expressing hope that society can prevent future tragedies through greater understanding.
Former TO Lesbians & Queers President Tzu-Hang Yen (顏梓航) also shared that recent hate-filled misinformation arising from misunderstandings on social media has deeply harmed transgender communities. He reminded the public to understand the real experiences of transgender individuals with empathy, instead of projecting social anxiety or crime-related fears onto them. “Transgender people are just like you and me—with bodies, souls, and love.” He encouraged those emotionally affected by online hate speech to take care of their mental well-being, step back from the internet when needed, rest properly, and seek strength from supportive peers.
Professor Shan-Hui Hsu (徐珊惠) of the Department of Physical Education, Health & Recreation, a former member of NCKU’s Gender Equity Committee, also attended the vigil on November 17. She noted that recent regulations in international sports competitions are increasingly unfavorable to transgender athletes, raising concerns about setbacks in gender equality. She urged society to recognize the hidden forms of oppression these policies may create and avoid causing harm under the guise of “maintaining fair competition.”
Kuan-Ju Chen (陳冠儒), the new coordinator of the Gender Equity Education Committee, participated in the TDoR event for the first time. He expressed how moved he was to see so many faculty members and students standing up for transgender communities and looks forward to working together to continue advancing gender equity education.
Yi-Ching Wu (吳怡靜), a long-time coordinator of the Gender Equity Education Committee, has been involved in organizing transgender and gender-diversity events for 12 years. She reflected on the clear shift in social attitudes over the years and recalled that in early years, the event often encountered intentional disruption—for example, posters being torn down or discarded the day after being put up. These acts, although seemingly minor, carried deep humiliation and caused great sadness for the organizing team. Fortunately, through years of effort, campus support for gender diversity has steadily grown, strengthening the resolve to protect every gender-diverse member of the community. “We hope our circle of support continues to grow thicker—until one day, advocacy is no longer necessary because respect and equality have become a daily norm in society.”
On the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) on November 20, NCKU Holds a Candlelight Vigil, Hoping Society Will Replace Prejudice with Understanding toward Gender Diversity
The NCKU International Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil entered its 12th year in 2025. This year’s event, held at the plaza in front of the Student Activity Center on the first floor of the Kuang-Fu Campus, drew more than 50 students, faculty, staff, and community partners. Gathered together on a cool autumn evening, participants each held a warm candle, demonstrating their support and blessings for gender diversity through concrete action.
On the evening of November 17, NCKU Vice President for Student Affairs, Professor Liang-Yi Hung (left), attended the candlelight vigil to thank participants for their support. She expressed hope that NCKU will continue implementing gender equity policies and work toward creating the most gender-friendly campus in Taiwan through both institutional measures and infrastructure improvements.
The International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) event at NCKU has been jointly organized by the campus gender-friendly student organization TO Lesbians & Queers and the Gender Equity Education Committee since 2014, taking place annually around November 20. Although the event faced challenges in its early years, continuous efforts have gradually strengthened the support for gender diversity across the campus.
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