December 17 – Day 15: Memorial, Not Just Mourning

December 17 is a day of remembrance - but it has always been more than mourning.

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Each year, as we gather under the red umbrella, we hold two truths at once: the depth of our grief and the strength of our resolve. Every candle lit, every name spoken aloud, every moment of silence holds the weight of loss - but it also carries the spark of resistance. Our memorials are not passive acts of sadness. They are declarations that we remember, we resist, and we refuse to let violence define us.

Grief as a Catalyst

When sex workers and allies gather on this day, we are not only honoring those taken by violence—we are demanding that the systems which made that violence possible must end. Criminalization. Stigma. Neglect. Indifference. These are not abstract forces; they are policies, institutions, and attitudes that can be changed.

Our grief is not a private matter - it is collective, defiant, and mobilizing. Each vigil, altar, and online tribute becomes a public demand for justice. We name our dead not to reopen wounds, but to ensure the world can no longer look away.

The Politics of Remembering

Memorials matter because they restore dignity to lives erased by stigma and silence.

Yet remembrance is also profoundly political. It says:

We will not accept a world where sex workers are treated as disposable.

We will not let violence go unseen, unchallenged, or forgotten.

Each year, the list of names grows longer - and with it, our determination to fight back. In remembering, we also reassert the value of every life lost to stigma, criminalization, and state neglect. Our grief becomes a strategy: to gather strength, to organize, to demand that no more candles need to be lit for another fallen worker.

From Memory to Movement

December 17 is a bridge between memory and movement. It’s where sorrow becomes solidarity, and solidarity becomes action. The red umbrella - lifted high at vigils across the globe - is more than a symbol of protection. It is a rallying call for collective power.

It reminds us that sex workers are not only remembered in death but celebrated in life: as parents, artists, organizers, caregivers, and advocates. Every story told, every vigil held, every name remembered is a thread in the fabric of our movement - a movement built on care, resistance, and unwavering love for our own.

A Call to Gather, Reflect, and Act

This year, we invite you to join us.

Attend a vigil in your city, light a candle at home, or participate in an online memorial.

Share a story, an artwork, or a message of remembrance.

Whether you gather in person or in spirit, your presence matters.

Because December 17 is not just a memorial - it’s a call to conscience. A reminder that mourning is not the end of the story.

Together, we turn grief into fuel for justice, and remembrance into a movement that will not rest until sex workers everywhere can live with safety, dignity, and freedom.