Connecticut

CT marks transgender day of visibility: ‘It’s about being respected’

Published

1 year ago

March 31, 2025

CT marks transgender day of visibility: ‘It’s about being respected’

Members of the state’s transgender community expressed joy and pride on International Transgender Day of Visibility with an afternoon of impassioned speeches, calls to action, and laughter at the Capitol.

In the face of threats to their safety and attacks on their rights at the national level, many said they also felt grateful to call Connecticut home.

“The price of being an out, trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary American, is to risk everything: our relationships, our jobs, our rights, and I’m afraid, potentially, our freedom,” said Dawn Ennis, one of the organizers of West Hartford Pride. “I don’t need to tell you the stakes. I don’t need to tell you what you’re risking — what I’m risking — just by being visible.”

Connecticut has emerged as a relative safe haven for the transgender community over the past few months, since President Donald Trump returned to office and issued a flurry of executive orders targeting their rights. They include prohibitions on transgender girls from participating in school sports teams, a ban of transgender service members in the military and a ban on children under 19 from accessing gender-affirming care.

Lawsuits challenging those orders have in turn been working their way through the courts. But despite having policies that support the transgender community, Connecticut has so far flown under the radar, even as Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills was reprimanded in-person by Trump at a White House event for refusing to ban transgender athletes. Her state has seen numerous targeted funding cuts since.

At a recent Connecticut Mirror event, Gov. Ned Lamont, who was sitting next to Mills at the time of her confrontation with Trump, recalled watching how Mills handled the heat.

“I was really proud of Janet Mills to tell you the truth,” Lamont said. “I thought Janet Mills handled it just right.”

In 2024, Connecticut also took steps to launch a tourism initiative to let members of the LGBTQ+ community know that they can find acceptance in the state.

And on Monday Lamont wrote on X: “Trans people are people just like everyone else and deserve to have their rights protected. To the transgender community in Connecticut: We see you, we celebrate you, and we’ve got your back.”

But Connecticut has also been a site of controversy on the issue. A lawsuit filed by female athletes opposing transgender athletes from participating on sports teams, was filed in a Connecticut district court, and one of the country’s most prominent activists opposing transgender athletes lives in Darien.

Aaron Miller, a transgender pastor, told Monday’s gathering that today’s attacks are history repeating itself.

“These times are not new to us. Some of us, many of us here, have lived this before — and we know what Stonewall was,” said Aaron Miller, a transgender man and pastor. Miller was citing the confrontations between members of the gay community and police at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969 that served as a turning point in that community’s struggle for civil rights. “It’s time for another movement, but this time for the transgender community.”

Rep. MJ Shannon, D-Milford, a 24-year-old lawmaker and member of the LGBTQ+ Caucus, pledged to support the transgender community. “Through our work here at the legislature, we’re making sure that trans voices are not just heard — they’re at the center of the policies and initiatives that shape our state,” Shannon said. “Because visibility isn’t just about being seen. It’s about being respected, protected and valued in every space, whether it’s our schools, our workplaces, our health care systems or our homes.”

June Carpenter, a 17-year-old transgender high school senior student, was among the speakers who emphasized the importance of celebrating her identity joyously. She said that too often the discussion of trans lives are rooted in struggle and resilience against adversity.

“While these narratives are valid, they are not everything,” she said. “Our lives are not solely about struggle. They’re about thriving, about love, about laughter, about the simple yet radical act of existing in a world that often misunderstands us.”

Brianna Skowera, the organizer of Middletown Pride, said that she remembers a time when transgender people were pushed to the margins. She celebrated their role in every corner of society.

“We are journalists, we are activists, we are celebrities, we are authors who are proud of our journey,” Skowera said. “But even more important, we are visible in the day-to-day life in our communities. Trans people are grocery store clerks, we are baristas, we are phone operators, we are homemakers, we are parents, we are teachers. We are the neighbors that you live with.”

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, who served as the master of ceremony at the event, said that while Transgender Day of Visibility had been celebrated at the capitol in the past, Monday’s event carried more weight.

“As you’ve heard from these speakers, the threats are greater,” Bysiewicz said. “There’s so much hate, so much attempt to divide and discriminate, I think it makes today’s celebration so much more important.”

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Connecticut

Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.

Published

7 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.

by Cassandra Garibay | ProPublica and Jenna Carlesso, CT Mirror
June 22, 2026

ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror, two nonprofit newsrooms, are examining the state’s emergency medical services and what it takes to provide lifesaving care across the state. If you work or volunteer for emergency medical services in Connecticut, we need your help.

We know that the state’s emergency medical services have been strained for years, but that doesn’t stop paramedics, emergency medical technicians and emergency medical responders from working around the clock to serve community members in crisis. We have data on ambulance response times, but we know it doesn’t tell a full story about what is happening behind the scenes.

If you work or volunteer for a Connecticut ambulance corps, a fire department, a law enforcement agency or an emergency room, we want to hear your experience and understand what resources you need to do this lifesaving work.

What has changed about emergency medical services since you started? If your ambulance corps needs more staff, what are the challenges to hiring or retaining new people? What do you wish Connecticut residents or lawmakers knew about the state of EMS?

Your input is crucial and will help guide our reporting. We want to understand the issue in all its complexity — from training limitations to worker housing needs to budget cuts, and what that means for your vital work every day.

You can fill out our brief form to share your experience. Our reporters read through every response and may follow up with you. You can also email CT Mirror reporter Jenna Carlesso and ProPublica reporter Cassandra Garibay at ctemergency@propublica.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Don’t work for emergency medical services in Connecticut but know someone who does? You can also help by sending this form to them.

If you have called 911 for a medical emergency, we also want to hear from you. Please fill out our patient experience form.

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://ctmirror.org/2026/06/22/connecticut-emergency-medical-services-callout/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://ctmirror.org”>CT Mirror</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://ctmirror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-CTMirror_bug_rgb-180×180.jpg” style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>

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Connecticut

Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027

Published

17 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:

I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!

A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.

German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.

German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.

German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).

Top SCY Times:

50 Freestyle: 23.54
100 Freestyle: 51.35
200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
500 Freestyle: 4:53.19

A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.

German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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Connecticut

Strong Storm Emerges For Northern Connecticut: Here’s When, What To Know

Published

1 day ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Strong Storm Emerges For Northern Connecticut: Here’s When, What To Know

Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

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