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Cincinnati City Council member Reggie Harris speaks before the city raises the transgender pride flag on March 31, 2022. P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / C I T YO F C I N C Y
Cincinnati Officials Say More LGBTQ+ Protections Are Coming to the Municipal Code On International Transgender Day of Visibility, Cincinnati raised the transgender pride flag for the first time BY A L L I S O N BA B K A
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special event on International Transgender Day of Visibility could herald even more good things for Cincinnati. On March 31, the city raised the trans pride flag at City Hall for the first time in Cincinnati’s history in recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility. The flag features horizontal pink, blue and white stripes to symbolize people who identify as women and men as well as those who do not have a defined gender, are transitioning or identify as intersex. Since 2009, International Transgender Day of Visibility celebrates transgender people and raises awareness about trans discrimination, crimes against the trans community and other trans experiences.
Cincinnati officials gathered with representatives of LGBTQ+ organizations to raise the city’s flag, acknowledge the progress that has been made and look ahead to what still needs to happen to protect and affirm trans individuals. That work could include new language in Cincinnati’s nondiscrimination codes, officials said. “Here in Cincinnati and across the world, fear, unfortunately — particularly in our transgender community — still exists,” Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval said. “Our transgender neighbors have faced generations of hate, discrimination and violence, and yet they have remained dedicated in the face of oppression to push for a better life for the generations to come.” Reggie Harris, a Cincinnati City
Council member who worked with other municipal departments to organize the flying of Cincinnati’s first trans pride flag, said that a positive change in the city’s non-discrimination protections is coming soon. “Cincinnati was a leader in our ‘nondiscrim code,’ but that was a while ago. Things have changed,” Harris said. “We know that our concepts around gender identity and expression have changed and evolved, and we need to reflect that.” Harris said that municipal code language will be updated to directly protect transgender, non-binary and other LGBTQ+ individuals. The new legislation is expected in the coming weeks or months, he said. “We have to do both symbolic gestures and policy gestures, and that is the way we move forward,” Harris said. “I think it’s wonderful to be an openly gay council member and know that the administration that runs our beautiful city is with us every step of the way.” Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said that there were at least 45 murders of trans or non-binary people across the United States in 2021, with Black transgender women the most frequent target. She called out Ohio and other states for passing or considering a
variety of anti-trans legislation, including laws that affect students. “There are more than 20 states across our country that have passed laws to criminalize gender-affirming care. I want you to look out for Ohio House (of Representatives) bill 454, because that is in the pipe. It’s coming down, and we’ve got to fight it,” Lemon Kearney said. “And even though the American Medical Association and the American Pediatric Association have said that these laws endanger the health and well-being of our youth, we are still looking at fighting a House bill here, right on our turf.” “And note that receiving genderaffirming healthcare has been associated with a 60% lower odds of moderate or severe depression and a 73% lower odds of suicidal ideation and suicide itself,” Lemon Kearney added. HB 454, titled the “Enact the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act,” would prohibit offering minors any kind of gender-affirming treatment, from hormones to surgery. The bill also would put the onus on healthcare providers by defining that treatment as “unprofessional conduct” for state licensing boards, plus it would make “actual or threatened violations” of the bill grounds for a lawsuit. Ohio Republicans Gary Click and Diane V. Grendell are the primary sponsors of the
APRIL 6, 2022 - APRIL 19, 2022 |
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