Every day is a tribute: Honoring Trans lives with art, memory and love

We remember the Trans artists and visionaries who enriched our culture with their beauty, creativity, and expansive possibilities. Art is a vessel of memory, and their legacies illuminate the way forward. We pledge to fight for a world where all Trans people can live freely, create boldly, and thrive.

Lili Ilse Elvenes (1882–1931), better known as Lili Elbe, was a Danish painter, Transgender woman, and one of the earliest recipients of gender-affirming surgery (then called sex reassignment surgery).

Mark Cagaanan Aguhar (1987–2012) was an American activist, writer and multimedia fine artist known for her multidisciplinary work about gender, beauty and existing as a racial minority, while being body positive and Transgender femme-identified. Aguhar was made famous by her blog that questioned the mainstream representation of the “glossy glorification of the Gay White male body”. Their work included drawing, inks, and collage. Died by suicide.

DéVonnie J’Rae Johnson (1995–2023) was killed in Los Angeles, where she was receiving gender-affirming medical care. She was an accomplished artist, and her family and friends say she wanted to give back to her community.

Casey Hoke (1997–2018) was a prolific Transgender artist, activist, and speaker dedicated to helping others combat marginalization with creativity through his Art, Identity, & YOU workshops, design work, and publications. He launched Queer Art History as an educational resource in 2017.

Published: 20th November 2025

Categorised in: For the Record