Connecticut Lt. Gov. to trans community: 'We see you, we respect you, and we will keep fighting for you'

“This wouldn’t be possible without the progress, the positive changes in politics, laws and attitudes towards our rights created by many of my adult peers and allies here today,” Carpenter said. “This year, several bills that aim to protect our community have been proposed. I’ve seen legislators not only speak on our behalf but also act in ways that signal that we are heard.”

Theo Keitt, the son of State Rep. Sarah Keitt, spoke about the importance of creating a culture of love to protect trans youth across the nation.

A senior at Fairfield Warde High School, Keitt said anti-trans policy, attitudes and violence in other states played into his decision to attend college in New York City this fall.

As Keitt was looking at art schools, he said people kept encouraging him to apply to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“There was always a little voice in the back of my head saying, ‘I can’t live in Savannah. I can’t live in Georgia,’” Keitt said. “I’m sure there are a lot of you in this room who went through the exact same thought process when choosing your schools, your places of work, and your places of residence.”

Keitt said that despite Connecticut’s inclusive policies, the rest of America “is not safe for queer youth.”

“Today’s flag raising will not save the gay 14-year-old in Alabama who’s terrified of being outed at school. It will not save the trans 17-year-old in Oklahoma whose estrogen has just been made illegal, but it can show them that they are not alone,” Keitt said.

As Connecticut embraces more trans refugees from hostile states, Karleigh Chardonnay Webb, an activist, journalist and Trans Lifeline operator, said state leaders must not rest on their achievements but expand on them.

“There are families coming to this state, my state, our state who are struggling. They’re fleeing anti-trans laws where they came from and they’re coming here seeking refuge and relief. Let’s pull together for them. Let’s keep pushing Connecticut forward and let’s send a clear message to those who seek to bring anti-trans bigotry here to Connecticut,” Webb said.

Watching as the trans pride flag waved above the Capitol’s gold dome, Christine Rebstock, executive director of media and communications for LGBTS United, said that she does not believe in Trans Day of Visibility.

Rebstock said that the LGBTS United, which aligns with parental rights organizations and has lobbied against gender-affirming care for minors and diversity, equity, and inclusion curricula, opposes the display of any non-government flag on government property.

Earlier this session, Rebstock joined the Connecticut Family Institute, Republican lawmakers, and others to push a proposal that would require schools to out trans and gender nonconforming students to their parents and prohibit transgender athletes from competing in sports that align with their gender identity.

During a speech before the flag raising, State Treasurer Erick Russell spoke against similar attempts to limit LGBTQ+ rights within schools, the workplace and government spaces.

“It is infuriating that some of these basic elements of human decency are being challenged across the country, but also right here in Connecticut,” Russell said.

“Very bizarrely, we have adults who are so fixated on attacking children in our schools and in our communities,” Russell added.

While Russell said he is “hopeful that those adults will at some point, step up and realize their wrongs and will come to the table” he said that state leaders must work every day to protect their constituents.

“What we need to make very clear is that trans and nonbinary people are here and they are going to be heard, and they will not be diminished or silenced or erased in our state,” Russell said. “Trans people and all people need to know that their government will protect their rights and freedoms without exception.”