LGBTQ+ in Eastern Connecticut: Five stories to check out this Pride Month

Happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month!

First established by former President Bill Clinton in 1999-2000 as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month, it has since been expanded to LGBTQ+ Month under President Joseph Biden. It also commemorates the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June in 1969 after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City's Greenwich Village.

You'll find events, parades and plenty more held throughout the United States, including some in your backyard.

At the Bulletin, we're looking back at stories and individuals in the space to highlight the importance of equality and the ongoing efforts made by the LGBTQ+ community. There's still plenty of work to be done, after all.

Here are five stories to check out this Pride month.

COVID made existing problems worse for LGBTQ students. Here's how UConn's Rainbow Center helps.

Like many students who pass through the doors at University of Connecticut's Rainbow Center, Kelsey O'Neil began college unsure of their identity.

They started at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005, back when "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was still in effect. It was also during this time that many youths within the LGBTQIA+ community were highlighted by the media as victims of oppression, with many reported as dying by suicide.

More: COVID made existing problems worse for LGBTQ students. Can UConn's Rainbow Center help?

"Things went wrong for me," O'Neil said. "I didn’t find my place until 2010 when I attended the University of New Hampshire."

Now O’Neil heads UConn's Rainbow Center as its director, helping LGBTQIA+ students navigate the multitude of different stressors they can face when seeking higher education.

A Pride flag won't fly on Norwich City Hall this June. An alternative is in the works.

Growing up in Rhode Island as gay in the 1970s was difficult for Linda Calabro. She’d often go away to Boston or New York because it was where other queer people were.

"I used to have to take my gayity out of town," she said. "I had to move to Manhattan for a year because I felt more comfortable in the gay life of Manhattan back in 1974, 1975."

Calabro is a member of the Gay Straight Alliance from Reliance Health, a Norwich non-profit community mental health center, which recently asked city officials to consider raising a Pride flag at Norwich City Hall via an April 26 letter sent to each member of the Norwich City Council, and by speaking during public comment at the May 16 City Council meeting.

More: A Pride flag won't fly on Norwich City Hall this June. An alternative is in the works.

“We ask that the City of Norwich raise a Pride flag at the town hall as a strong show of support for the city’s LGBTQ+ residents and their allies. In doing so, the city will send a clear message to Southeastern Connecticut and beyond that Norwich is a safe place for the queer community,” the letter states.

Shawn Lang, Connecticut activist known for AIDS, anti-discrimination work, died Sunday, October 17

Shawn Lang, a longtime Connecticut activist for people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as those impacted by opioid addiction and domestic abuse, has died. She was 65.

Lang’s unexpected death on Oct. 17, confirmed to the Hartford Courant by her 24-year-old son Corbett Lang, was met with both shock and sadness by friends, associates and Connecticut politicians.

More: Shawn Lang, Connecticut activist known for AIDS, anti-discrimination work, has died

“Shawn Lang’s passion and courage were boundless, and her impact endless, as a leader and advocate for fundamental human rights,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement. “I am proud to have called her my friend, and like so many other public officials, I valued her sage advice.”

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont credited Lang with “giving a voice for the underrepresented and those in marginalized communities.”

Healthy Living: Affirmation can save the lives of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community

June 1st marks the first day of Pride Month each year, thus beginning the inundation of merchandise, signs, and social media posts proclaiming “love wins." Though it can be affirming to those of us in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Plus (LGBTQ+) community, it can also invoke feelings of grief. While Pride Month serves as a celebration of the progress that’s been made, we are also reminded of the work that is left.

Healthy Living: Affirmation can save the lives of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community

Historically, the right to live our lives as our authentic selves has been moralized, questioned and politicized. Although some of us may not experience explicit discrimination daily, every act of violence towards one of us is felt by all. The familiar experience of rejection felt by those in the LGBTQ+ community has been reflected in research outlined by the Trevor Project, as a correlation exists between youth in unaccepting environments and negative impacts on mental health.

Black, LGBTQ homeownership is down nationally. Can Connecticut Realtors change that?

From 2010 to 2020, there were increases in home ownership among white, Asian and Hispanic people, but a decrease in Black homeownership, according to the National Association of Realtors.

That's related to higher mortgage denials, the association said, along with discrimination and rising home prices overall.

More: Black and LGBTQ+ homeownership is down nationally. Can Connecticut Realtors change that?

“If home ownership isn’t the American Dream, tell me what is,” said Ryan Weyandt, CEO of the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance.

Weyandt spoke during the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors' “Fair Housing Reframed: Trailblazing a Path to Homeownership” talk this month, which centered on how to get more homeownership in various underrepresented communities. That includes LGBTQ communities, where Weyandt said there's only 49% homeownership, and people of color.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: CT Pride flags, affirmation, struggle: Five stories for Pride Month