For Immediate Release: June 22, 2022
Contact: Ciora Thomas, ciora.thomas@sisterspgh.org, 412-297-0548
(PITTSBURGH) – “We at SisTers PGH were honored to stand with the O’Donnell family this morning at their preliminary hearing in pursuit of justice against harassment and violent transphobia in their own backyard. This vibrant family, including their adopted Black Trans daughter, has been living on the North Side in Observatory Hill for almost 14 years, and for the past two have had to endure countless incidents of bullying and hatred from their neighbor.
“We are supposed to care about our neighbors, not erect massive signs outside their bedroom windows that state falsehoods about Trans people and that aim to belittle and degrade them. This latest incident—as there have been many—in May 2022 involving a yard sign is indicative of the personal lengths people will go to in order to spread their violent rhetoric and intimidate others.
“Making a child feel unsafe in their own community and their own home is beyond shameful. Protecting children—especially Trans youth—should be a collective priority for us as a society, and we are grateful the judge today has taken the first step by issuing a 90-day no-contact order while she prepares for the final hearing in the coming weeks.
“It is important to remember that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to harass or intimidate, and that if we can’t even make our children feel safe, what does that mean for the rest of us? What does it mean for your own family?
“We recommit to the fight for the safety and liberation of Trans youth, and to being role models as Black Trans people for them to admire and to know what is possible on the other side.
“We are confident justice will prevail for the O’Donnell family, and we will remain in solidarity with them every step of the way.”
SisTers PGH is a Black- and Trans-led 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves Trans, queer and nonbinary BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) within southwestern Pennsylvania. Learn more at www.sisterspgh.org.
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