March 31, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim, 860-638-4801
THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN IS RAISING THE TRANSGENDER FLAG AT CITY HALL
In Honor Of The International Transgender Day Of Visibility
Middletown, CT – Today, the City of Middletown is proudly raising the transgender flag at City Hall in honor of the International Transgender Day of Visibility (“TDOV”), to show the City’s support for, and to raise visibility of, its transgender and gender nonconforming residents.
TDOV was founded in 2009 by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall, a licensed psychotherapist and Executive Director of Transgender Michigan, and TDOV is honored every year on March 31. TDOV is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments, contributions, and victories of transgender people, and to highlight the courage it takes to live openly and authentically.
TDOV also provides a platform to raise awareness of the work that is still very much needed to achieve trans equality, and to combat discrimination and violence that is still all too common, especially for transgender women of color. Mayor Florsheim commented, “anything we can do as individuals, and collectively as a community, to be inclusive and promote equity for all people is important. History has shown us all too graphically how damaging silence against oppression can be. Flying the transgender flag at City Hall is one important step we can take to clearly say to all members of the community that we see you, we honor you, and you are welcome here.”
Christopher Forte, creator of Middletown Pride and Assistant General Counsel for the City of Middletown, went on to state “at a time when transphobia is rampant across the country, it is important that we celebrate, uplift, and honor the transgender community here in Middletown. We want this city to be a place where trans people feel welcome and included.”
In line with the spirit of TDOV, the City of Middletown wants to highlight and provide a platform for three of our Commissioners—Laura Timmons, Cayes Jarda, and Christine Rebstock—who currently serve on the City’s LGBTQIA+ Commission, to share their stories on what TDOV means to them:
Commissioner Laura Timmons stated that “Transgender Day of Visibility means that I am free to live my best life in a community that loves and accepts me as my authentic self. I have lived with chronic anxiety and depression for 40 years of my adult life, and being closeted was a big contributor to that. Once I came out as transgender female, I truly am living my best life. I now want to pass on this message for others that they are not alone and they are able to live their best life in this great community in Middletown that loves and accepts us, and in the great State of Connecticut for having laws that protect us.”
Commissioner Jarda shared that “as an educator it's important to me to be a visible beacon in my community for the students, families, and staff. I knew at the early age of 5 who I was and no one believed me or understood. I had nobody to turn to, not even a book. I hid for a long time and that chipped away at that happy 5 year old who was ready for the world. I came out on national television and it was the best thing I ever did. A student whose parent saw me on TV the following year requested to have their child, who also identified as trans, in my class. It was the first time I felt whole in my career. I wasn't scared to be me, or afraid parents would want me to stay away. I got to teach as my true authentic self and my entire class was all the better for it. When trans and nonconforming people are safe, we are all safer.”
Commissioner Rebstock commented “after hiding who I really was for over 50 years, today and everyday, I am out as my true self. I live, work, and do the everyday things of life without hiding who I am, even simple things like getting gas and grocery shopping. I want to show people that we conduct normal lives as our true selves not only here in Middletown or in Connecticut, but throughout the world. The reality is that while today is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, I am visible every single day.”
The transgender flag will be flying at City Hall from Thursday, March 31 until Friday April 8, 2022. For more information on questions you may have about the transgender community, and the challenges that they still face, please visit the HRC’s website at: https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community.
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