BETHLEHEM, Pa. — More than 100 people converged at City Hall early Monday to voice support for their fellow humans during turbulent times.
The city and Eastern PA Trans Equity Project partnered to raise a flag for International Transgender Day of Visibility.
But the event started late because of a missing American flag, one that is always flying outside City Hall and appeared to have been taken over the weekend, Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said.
After procuring a fresh banner, the crowd of locals, City Hall employees and others cheered as they welcomed Central Moravian Church Senior Pastor Janel Rice to hoist Old Glory ahead of the event’s speakers taking the mic.
Later raising their Transgender Pride Flag as well, with its light blue, pink and white stripes, many of those present in support said they are just everyday Americans — neighbors, doctors, teachers, truck drivers and taxpayers.
'Simply being who we are'
Reading aloud with fervor among allies, speaker Radiance Angelina Petro recited lyrics from a song she said she wrote seven years ago to honor TDOV:
“We are here to stay/We are here to stay/And we are rising up to let you know:
"We are not a threat to society/The fabric of the family is safe/We are simply being who we are/Just like you.
"We are in the human race/And we are here to stay.”
Corinne Goodwin, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project executive director, cited figures that show more than 10% of voters nationwide are LGBTQ, with 23% of those people under age 27 identifying as non-heterosexual or non-cisgender.
“We gotta vote, we gotta raise our voices and we need to hold people accountable.”Corrine Goodwin, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project executive director, who said it's time to "flex our power" in the May 20 primary election
She said it’s time to “flex our power,” as area voters have a primary election on May 20 for positions such as City Council seats, school boards and judges.
“These are the people that are going to stand between us and fascism,” Goodwin said. “That means you and the other 20,000 transgender and nonbinary people living here in the Lehigh Valley, we gotta get out and do our job.
"And that means we gotta vote, we gotta raise our voices and we need to hold people accountable.”
Letting the light shine
Liz Bradbury, chairwoman of the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission and Keystone Equality, said more than 20 states have laws protecting civil rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
But Pennsylvania is not among them.
Bradbury said Allentown was the first municipality in the state to legislate enumerated civil rights protections for transgender people.
“It is anonymity and the closet that stifles our progress and puts us at greatest risk; it is visibility that brings us forward. That’s what pride is.”Liz Bradury, chair of the Lehigh County Human Relations Commission and Keystone Equality
Easton and Bethlehem passed human relations ordinances in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
“The legislators who passed these laws decades ago were the opposite of the hateful bullies in Washington today trying to, daily, harm transgender children and others who are the most vulnerable,” Bradbury said.
Last year, Lehigh County passed “the most progressive human relations ordinance in Pennsylvania,” Bradbury said.
But with Bethlehem being split into two counties, she said protecting just a third of the city’s affected community won’t cut it.
It’s also time to let the light shine, she said.
“It is anonymity and the closet that stifles our progress and puts us at greatest risk; it is visibility that brings us forward,” Bradbury said. “That’s what pride is.”
'What it means to be an American'
Jamie Fink, 45, of Breinigsville, agreed with that sentiment: “Don’t be afraid to hide, just come out.”
“I found that, for the most part, people as a whole don’t represent what we’re hearing on the news,” said Kimberly Smith, 49, of Collegeville, Montgomery County.
“I’ve been treated fairly well, and I’m thankful for that."
But Smith said some legislators now are painting a grim picture for the next generations of transgender and nonbinary people.
Easton and Allentown also planned to have TDOV flag-raisings on Monday.
“What that flag is about is opening the door to a wider conversation about what it means to be an American," Reynolds said.
"What it means to have those rights some of us are born with and other people have to fight for."
