Showing LGBTQ pride, support
Rainbow flags draped over Big Bird Bridge in Farmington
FARMINGTON — LGBTQ activists and allies hung pride flags in Farmington on Wednesday to spread a message of pride and visibility in a community where they say they often feel neglected.
A group of 13 teens and parents draped two rainbow pride flags and a transgender pride flag over the Big Bird Bridge as drivers on Farmington Avenue below honked in support.
The Big Bird Bridge display comes two days after a walkout at Farmington High School when administrators denied student requests to fly a pride flag in their school’s courtyard. A handful of students at that protest were among those at Wednesday’s gathering.
On the bridge, students shared experiences with bullying, micro and macroaggressions due to their gender identities and sexual orientations. They said students need more support to combat prejudice in their community and wanted to fly the flags to show that the LGBTQ community is present and proud.
“[June] is a month where I don’t have to be scared to be myself,” said Quentin, a rising eighth-grader who is transgender and gay. “I went to the mental hospital twice because of bullying. … I wish [schools] actually educated kids more about how bullying affects people, [and] why people identify the way they do,
so that people are more aware of why and how people identify differently.”
Lisa Arenivaz said that after the bullying her LGBTQ child experienced in middle school this year, her family decided to move out of Connecticut.
“It is heartbreaking. It is frustrating,” Arvenas said. “It angers and saddens me that these kids are forced to advocate for themselves at such a young age.”
Jackie Harris-stone identifies as queer and has two children. Harrisstone said they would like to see more support for LGBTQ students — from teacher training, to record keeping, to curriculum.
Raine, who is a trans and bisexual, said that he often encounters issues with teachers using incorrect pronouns.
“It takes them a long time to figure out and I don’t like correcting them because it’s something I’m not sure how to do entirely. So I still get called ‘she’ all the time,” Raine said.
Raine said that he and his LGBTQ peers would like to feel that their existence is acknowledged.
Morgan, a rising freshmanl
who identifies as lesbian, said that she feels proud to hopefully make an impact through the flag display at Big Bird Bridge.
“I go by this bridge every single day,” Morgan said. “It’s just really cool that
now, I’ll be able to drive by every day and see myself
and the people that I care about represented on it.”