The Museum of Liverpool lit up in a sea of candles as dozens of transgender people and their loved ones gathered to pay tribute to members of their community lost to violence and self harm.
A heartfelt montage of transgender people who died in the past year was played to the crowd at the Transgender Day of Remembrance event on Sunday.
Former Merseyside Police detective sergeant Christian Owens said: "Today is about sharing our visibility, celebrating out lives and remembering the people who have gone before us that have got us to this place today, and also to remember the lives of those we have lost, and the work we still have to do to create an inclusive society for us all.
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"My journey with TDOR began in 2012 when I attended my first event. I hadn't started my public transition and I remember walking into the event, standing at the back of the room hiding in the shadows, but what I found that night was the strength, visibility and support of others, and it was exactly what I needed at that point in my journey.
"My journey to become Christian has taken a lifetime. It started in childhood when I knew exactly when I was. It hasn't been without hurdles but it has been absolutely life-changing.
"It's been difficult and extremely dark at times but I never lost sight of the finish line. As difficult as it was at times, if I had to I would do it all again tomorrow."
He added: "We can't be drowned out or beaten by the voices of the gender critical movement. I've been intentionally misgendered by these exclusionary voices on social media. They invalidate us, they disrespect us, they negate our lives and our existence, so we need to stand together to makie sure our voices are louder and stronger than theirs.
"Right now we're facing extremely testing times. We are living in a hostile society surrounded by people who want to erase our itentities... This is happening right now so today is not a day to withdraw or be silent, it's a time to raise our voices and shout louder than ever before."
TDOR began in 1999 as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in Boston, USA, the previous year. Today, the annual event commemorates the lives of all transgender people who have died in tragic circumstances.
Lily Rose Hunt, chair of Spirit Level, a peer support group for trans and non-binary people, said: "We shouldn't have to be here, but with the current world, social and political climate, I believe that unfortunately this day is more important than ever."
Youth worker Paul Rooney, from GYRO (LGBTQ+ Youth Liverpool), said: "We know from our own experiences how challenging the landscape is for trans young people is at the moment, but we also know how supportive of each other trans young people are. It is my privilege to work on our LGBT youth groups every single week and even though we're here talking about the difficulties, each week our groups are joyful, happy and euphoric places to be."
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