NEWS

Cincinnati City Council member Reggie Harris speaks before the city raises the transgender pride ag on March 31, 2022.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK.COM/CITYOFCINCY

Cincinnati Offi cials Say More LGBTQ+ Protections Are Coming to the Municipal Code

On International Transgender Day of Visibility, Cincinnati raised the transgender pride ag for the rst time

BY ALLISON BABKA

Aspecial event on International Transgender Day of Visibility could herald even more good things for Cincinnati.

On March 31, the city raised the trans pride ag at City Hall for the rst time in Cincinnati’s history in recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility. e ag 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 de ned 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 o cials gathered with representatives of LGBTQ+ organizations to raise the city’s ag, acknowledge the progress that has been made and look ahead to what still needs to happen to protect and a rm trans individuals. at work could include new language in Cincinnati’s nondiscrimination codes, o cials 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 ying of Cincinnati’s rst trans pride ag, 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. ings have changed,” Harris said. “We know that our concepts around gender identity and expression have changed and evolved, and we need to re ect that.”

Harris said that municipal code language will be updated to directly protect transgender, non-binary and other LGBTQ+ individuals. e 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 a ect students.

“ ere are more than 20 states across our country that have passed laws to criminalize gender-a rming 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 ght 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 ghting a House bill here, right on our turf.”

“And note that receiving gendera rming 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 o ering minors any kind of gender-a rming treatment, from hormones to surgery. e bill also would put the onus on healthcare providers by de ning 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

bill, which was introduced in October, has about two dozen Republican co-sponsors and has been referred to the Families, Aging and Human Services committee.

“Despite the advances we’ve made both nationally and in this city in LGBTQIA equality, we nd ourselves beating back a barrage of anti-LGBTQIA legislation around the state, and speci cally legislation that targets and seeks to erase trans people,” Harris said. “Now, we know historically any e ort made to erase and to oppress and discriminate (against) any group of people does not end well. And so we nd ourselves at this crossroads, this juxtaposition of progress and fear, progress and regression.”

“What we are here to do today is take that symbolic step in saying while the rest of our state may be interested in moving backward, here in Cincinnati we are moving forward,” Harris continued.

Sheryl Long, assistant city manager, concurred.

“While today is about celebration, it’s also about the work still needed to save trans lives. In Cincinnati, we have added gender identity as a protected class, and as an employer we cover gender-a rming procedures. But there is always, always more work to be done,” Long said. “In 2022, across the U.S., there are dozens of cities and states considering legislation that adversely a ects transgender youth and the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m a mom, and I can tell you that breaks my heart to think of those parents begging and pleading to their legislators and school boards to protect, not target, their babies.”

Elliot Kesse, board member for the Transgender Advocacy Council and Heartland Trans Wellness, said that members of the trans community — particularly youth — indeed are at risk.

“Visibility without protection is a trap,” Kesse said. “It requires us to risk harm and harassment without the guarantee that our cisgender — or cis — parents won’t disown us, our cis bosses won’t re us, our cis doctors won’t refuse to treat us or our cis politicians won’t pass laws that kill us.”

Before the raising of the transgender pride ag, City Council member Mark Je reys revealed publicly for the rst time that his oldest child, who is 20, recently shared that they are trans.

“It’s a beautiful moment in a person’s life when they’re able to acknowledge their authentic self. No one should live their life pretending to be someone else, but when that authentic self is di erent from the societal norm and coming out carries risks not just of personal rejection but potential violence, that takes courage,” Je reys said. “As we’ve approached these discussions with Emery, we’ve done it wrapped in love and seeing them for who they truly are.”

Moments before the trans ag was hoisted into the air, Harris took a breath and glanced at those around him, remarking that he didn’t expect to feel as emotional as he had.

“I do feel a bit of emotion because my colleagues raised facts and experiences of LGBTQIA folks that, typically when you are part of a community you feel the burden of saying, ‘ is is everything we need to know.’ And to know that I don’t have to do this alone, to know that my vice mayor knows the statistics, our mayor understands what this all means, there’s a deep moment of gratitude that I have,” Harris said.

Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin to Serve as Grand Marshal of the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day Parade

BY MAIJA ZUMMO

e Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day Parade is back for 2022, and a fan favorite has been declared the Grand Marshal.

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Red Barry Larkin will lead the procession — o cially called the “Findlay Market Opening Day Parade” — through the streets of downtown before the Reds take on the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park during the home opener on April 12.

“I am truly honored to be selected as the Grand Marshal of this year’s Findlay Market Opening Day Parade,” Larkin said. “As someone born and raised in Cincinnati, I know what a major role the parade plays in making Opening Day such a special experience here in our city. I look forward to being part of renewing that tradition with Reds fans this year.”

Organizers said this year’s parade will include “appearances by Cincinnati Olympians, former Bengals players, the Hamilton West Side All Stars and the Taft High School Boys Basketball State Champions.” Attendees can also expect all the usual fanfare, oats, marching bands and dance teams, plus sporty celebrities like Nick Goepper — the Fort Wayne, Indiana native who took home a silver medal for slopestyle skiing in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics — and former Bengals stars Anthony Muñoz and Ickey Woods.

And while organizers are touting big plans for the parade, it’s still not quite a return to normal.

After two years of COVID-related cancellations or delays, this year’s Opening Day Parade was pushed from its original March 31 date to April 12 after Major League Baseball canceled the rst few series of the 2022 season due to the league-initiated lockout. MLB and members of the Major League Baseball Players Association nally came to terms on a new ve-year collective bargaining agreement in March, pushing the beginning of the season to April 7, with the Reds visiting the Atlanta Braves on that day.

Born in Cincinnati, Larkin played shortstop for the Reds from 1986 to 2004, serving as captain in 1997. Despite injuries, Larkin was considered one of the best players of his era, racking up plenty of hardware over the years, including three Gold Gloves, nine Silver Sluggers, National League MVP, a Roberto Clemente Award and a Lou Gehrig Award. He helped lead the Reds to a World Series victory in 1990.

Before that, Larkin was selected to play for the 1984 U.S. Olympic baseball team, performing alongside Mark McGwire, Will Clark and other future MLB stars.

Larkin announced his retirement from the game in 2005, with a career batting average of .295, 2,340 hits, 1,329 runs scored and 379 stolen bases.

In 2012, Larkin was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In 2021, he joined the Cincinnati Reds’ broadcast team as a color analyst, having already provided commentary for ESPN and MLB Network.

Barry Larkin

PHOTO: GAGE SKIDMORE, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

For Cincinnati Reds tickets, visit reds.com. For details about the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, visit ndlaymarketparade.com.

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FOTOFOCUS SYMPOSIUM & FILM PROGRAM

THIS SATURDAY: April 9 at Memorial Hall THIS SUNDAY: April 10 at Garfield Theatre

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