Articles from the Constitution State
L’Oréal Woman of Worth
Leah Juliett, a nonbinary and queer writer, speaker, organizer, advocate and nonprofit leader activist from Walcott, has been chosen as one of L’Oréal Paris’s Women of Worth honorees for 2020.
Reports NBC Connecticut, Juliett was the victim of revenge porn at age 14 when naked photos of her were posted online without her consent. She’s since led marches across the country and is constantly working to ensure that victims get justice.
When talking to NBC Connecticut about her activism centered around cyber sexual abuse, Juliett pointed out that 17 percent of bisexual, lesbian and gay people become victims, while only two percent of heterosexual people are victimized.
Her nonprofit, March Against Revenge Porn, is an internationally acclaimed digital advocacy nonprofit organization dedicated to combating revenge porn, cyber sexual exploitation and image abuse through global organizing, federal lobbying, cyber-sex education, media advocacy, victim support services and a series of nationwide protest marches.
The nonprofit will receive $10,000 and could potentially receive $25,000 if she is nominated as national honoree.
More: marchagainstrevengeporn.org; #MarchAgainstRevengePorn
Nov. 3 winners
Congratulations, to out, proud Nov. 3 election winning incumbents State Reps Raghib Allie-Brennan (District 2) and Jeff Currey (District 11).
True Colors makes masks
True Colors has gotten creative and COVID-safe with their recent fundraising efforts.
Most recently, the Hartford-based nonprofit is selling LGBTQ+ pride flag masks made of organic cotton and complying with CDC guidelines. They’re available in an assortment of six flag designs, including lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, pansexual and rainbow.
In addition to these handmade masks, True Colors is also making LGBTQ+ pride flag shoelaces.
All proceeds support True Colors. According to their website, their “mission is to ensure LGBTQ+ youth—of all backgrounds—are safe, valued, and able to be their authentic selves. We do this by providing education, advocacy, and support to LGBTQ+ youth, their families, communities, and those who work with them.”
More: ourtruecolors.org
Trans artists debuted
An exhibition of art by transgender artists was the debut show at the new LGBTQ art gallery in Hartford.
The show, “Trans-scending Art” featuring the work of trans Connecticut artists that ran through November, officially opened the new space at Chez Est, the gay bar and restaurant at 458 Wethersfield Ave. in Hartford.
“It’s not like you see an exhibit of trans artists anywhere in Connecticut,” curator Patrick Dunn, executive director of New Haven Pride Center, told the Hartford Courant. “Generally, there aren’t a lot of exhibits of queer art and when there are, like the Wadsworth’s ‘Be Seen’ exhibit, it’s not elevating the voices of local trans artists.
I’m tired of not seeing queer representation,” he said. “There is that subtle message that they’re not here.”
More: chezest.com
‘Queer Black Voice on Canvas’
And the Chez Est gallery’s mission continued to elevate great underrepresented visionaries with their December exhibition, “Jaii Marc Renee: A Queer Black Voice on Canvas.”
As New Haven Pride Center describes the artist behind these vibrant, powerful works, “Like almost every artist, [Renee] struggled to find his identity or ‘style,’ sporadically painting for years after his introduction in a high school art class. Self-esteem and mental health played an adverse role, clouding the road to self-identity, but it was this same adversity that paved the way for the artist he is today.”
You can catch Renee’s vibrant, powerful canvases again in The Great Room Gallery at the New Haven Pride Center when they’re back on display from March 2 to April 30.
What’s next at the gallery? Check out chezest.com
Triangle Transgender Society
Norwalk’s Triangle Community Center is hosting their Triangle Transgender Society via Zoom due to the pandemic.
The group invites all members of the transgender community to join and enjoy a safe space to dress and present themselves however they feel best represents their true selves. The group is free, and discussion topics vary but can include issues such as navigating challenging relationships and lack of acceptance from family members.
The first meeting of 2021 is January 5, with meetings happening on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
More: ctpridecenter.org
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