Supporters gather at Cincinnati's City Hall as transgender flag is raised
After watching two flags rise together in front of City Hall this noon hour, Jamie James reflected on the moment.
"Right now, that flag means freedom more to me than the flag above it does," James said with somber conviction.
James was referencing the transgender flag just below the red, white and blue of the American flag.
"That flag means that I can be myself, I can be visible, I can love who I am. The flag above it? I know there are people who have really good intentions and do want to be supportive in the government, but the attacks that are coming on us just can't make me be as confident about it as I used to be."
James is with the Transgender Advocacy Council and identifies as a trans woman, relating a story about the reason for a suicide attempt at 16.
"I knew I could never be accepted for who I was there. So, I had to pretend to be somebody else. And I was really angry," James said.
President Donald Trump has altered the tone of this year's Transgender Day of Visibility for the trans community.
Shortly after his inauguration, he signed an executive order declaring that the government recognizes only two genders, male and female, saying his action "restores sanity."
Tara Sturgill, speaking at Monday's flag-raising event, said she feels under attack.
"I am a cisgender woman married to my cisgender husband," Sturgill said. "I am also a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and the mother of a transgender son."
She talked about how not everyone fits neatly into the gender binary of male and female.
For those unfamiliar with the "I" in the group acronym, Sturgill explained it represents intersex individuals.
"Those born with variations and sex characteristics that don't align with traditional definitions. Intersex conditions affects approximately 1.7% of the population 바카라 게임 웹사이트 about the same frequency as red hair," Sturgill said.
The stories poured forth from the crowd. Some could relate to what James said about how tough it is to hate oneself due to societal pressure to conform. We heard how visibility has taken on greater importance in 2025.
"My child as a transgender adult is a source of immeasurable pride for me and love for me," said Mark Jeffreys, a Cincinnati councilman who emceed the event.
He lamented whatever degree of loss there is in the country about certain shared values, which he called "the heart of what makes us human."
Mayor Aftab Pureval pointed to the hate and division that he said seem to be the governing priorities for many in the country.
Pureval emphasized the importance of having each other's back.
"This raising of the flag is not just rhetoric or a marketing strategy or platitudes. We believe this to our very core," Pureval said.
Sturgill cited studies showing that four out of 10 trans youth troubled by struggling with identity and societal pressure contemplate suicide.
As the nation debates trans access to bathrooms and sports teams, issues that are of ongoing concern to many parents, personal experiences like those James spoke about are buffeted by power politics.
"I don't want to see any kid go through what I had to go through growing up," James said. "They deserve to know that they're OK being who they are."
If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can .