On Monday, September 12, 2022, the City of Pittsburgh will recognize the first ‘Protect Trans Kids Day’ via a City Council Proclamation drafted and directed by a group of local transgender teenagers.
City Councilor Bobby Wilson initiated the proclamation and was joined unanimously by all other current council members. Wilson’s district saw the launch of the ‘Protect Trans Kids’ projects after a 15-year-old Black teenager was targeted by a neighbor. In response to that harassment, neighbors planted nearly 700 ‘Protect Trans Kids” yard signs in less than three months. They’ve also begun distributing stickers directly to youth and others who request them.
The proclamation lays out the priorities and needs these trans teens consider essential to protecting trans youth. They also identified accomplishments and assets the trans community has to offer the region including
The youth discussed their experiences in school, with healthcare providers, in their faith communities, and especially with their families and neighbors. They describe what protecting trans kids actually means right now – acknowledging what has been accomplished, but being honest about what remains to be done. They know they are targets. But they also believe that most people want to do the right thing and just need guidance.
To minimize disruption to school attendance, Council approved the Proclamation ahead of time during its regular session. On September 12, the trans teen committee, their families, friends, and supporters will gather for a small reception donated by Bistro-to-Go Cafe for Wilson to formally present the proclamation to the youth.
To prepare, the teens participated in a training on proclamations led by Wilson’s staffer Mohammed Burny. PPS teached Devin Browne from Brashear High School, facilitated the conversation and supported the youth as they laid out their priorities and concerns.
The idea for a proclamation arose to formalize a City Council response to the events unfolding in Observatory Hill and around the region. Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) offered to coordinate as an extension of the PTK projects and plans to work with trans youth annually.
The focus of this planning group is on kids who are actually teens ages 13-18 because they are the most frequent targets of anti-trans legislation and policies. They also best represent the children in the O’Donnell-Collar family who have been directly harassed in their own home. They do not yet have access to the vote so must use their voices to advocate for their peers.
The Proclamation offers a road map for City Council to consult as they move forward on their agendas, particularly the request to seek trans youth input on a variety of issues.
The trans youth authors of the Proclamation will formally receive it from Councilman Bobby Wilson on Monday, September 12, 2022 at 4:30 on Pittsburgh’s Northside.
The proclamation text can be found at http://bit.ly/ProtectTransKidsPGH
Media may register for the reception via folx@pghlgbtq.org. Masks will be required.
We will continue to order new signs as long as we have requests (and donations.)
Request a sign AND stickers bit.ly/ProtectsTransKidsSigns
Donations can be made via
- GoFundMe bit.ly/YardSignsFund **Preferred
- Venmo @PittsburghLGBTQ
- Paypal bit.ly/PayPalPLC
- Checks made payable to ‘Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities’ and mailed to 1439 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233.
Discover more from Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You must be logged in to post a comment.