Despite Ohio's Anti-Trans Bills, Cincinnati Will Recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility with Flag Ceremony

Cincinnati officials will mark International Transgender Day of Visibility with a flag-raising ceremony for the second time in a state climate that's hostile to trans folks.

Joined by leaders from the LGBTQIA community, city officials will raise the trans pride flag at City Hall during an event at 11 a.m. March 31. The flag features horizontal pink, pastel blue and white stripes to symbolize people who identify as women and men as well as those who do not have a defined gender, are transitioning or identify as intersex.

Cincinnati raised the trans pride flag for the first time in 2022.

Cincinnati City Council member Reggie Harris will play a key role in the ceremony. He will be joined by mayor Aftab Pureval, city manager Sheryl Long, council member Mark Jeffreys and several community advocacy groups, according to a release from Harris' office.

"At a time of historic anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, it is critically important that we acknowledge and celebrate the lives of transgender folks in our community," Harris said in the release.

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. In recent years, there's been a rising sentiment against trans individuals and other members of the LGBTQIA community. In 2022 and 2023, many state politicians – mostly Republicans – have passed or introduced legislation that bans or restricts gender-affirming healthcare, trans athletes, restroom use and education.

In Ohio, hearings are being held to prevent transgender girls and women from competing in team sports from kindergarten through college. Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Republican from Loveland, sponsored the bill. During a March 29 hearing on the issue, Schmidt claimed, "I believe in inclusiveness" and "I celebrate equality."
Earlier in March, Rep. Gary Click submitted legislation pushing for the state to mark March 12 as "Detrans Awareness Day," which would celebrate detransitioning, or stopping or reversing gender transition. Click also is the sponsor of a bill that would deny gender-affirming care to youth in Ohio and actually would directly and forcibly detransition them.

In his release, Harris said that Cincinnati is fighting to protect transgender people.

"As the State of Ohio and governments across the nation continue to introduce, consider, and pass legislation that directly targets and harms the most vulnerable among us, the City of Cincinnati continues to defend and work for the safety of all people, especially the young who are uniquely vulnerable," Harris said. "We honor International Transgender Day of Visibility by condemning legislation at the State level and continuing to partner with our local advocacy organizations to protect our community."

In 2022, Harris collaborated with other city officials to update language in Cincinnati's municipal code to more directly provide comprehensive legal protections for gender expression and identity and to further protect all individuals from discrimination.

Cincinnati will be one of many cities across the country – and within Ohio – hosting the March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy. Scheduled to kick off with a rally at 5:30 p.m. March 31 at Hoffner Park (4101 Hamilton Ave.), the march will support demands from queer and trans youth across the country. According to organizers, marches are being planned in all 50 states, and the collective effort is being billed as "one of the largest queer & trans youth marches in history."
Coming soon: CityBeat Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting Cincinnati stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter