 Well, good morning everyone. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Thank you everyone for being in here. We are really proud to be having this event to mark the International Trans Day of Visibility. It is a fitting celebration to be able to do this with Mayor-elect Emma Mulvaney-Stanek as well. That's right. As well as Councilor Joe McGee before a new year of city business begins. I say it's fitting because this is actually an issue of bringing visibility and love to trans people in this community. It's something that Mayor-elect Mulvaney-Stanek and I worked on before we knew we were gonna get to this day over the past year. I wanna start by thanking each of you for your many acts of leadership. And I'm saying this to Joe and Emma, I wanna thank each of you for your many acts of leadership and caring as committed and caring public servants who have each expanded Burlington's work to foster a sense of belonging for everyone who lives and visits here. Today is about making sure our trans neighbors are rightly celebrated for their many talents and contributions to Burlington. Among our trans neighbors are, of course, essential workers and healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, artists, parents, teachers, mentors, volunteers and elected leaders. Through their work, creativity and generosity, they contribute in meaningful and plentiful ways to the fabric of Burlington and to Vermont. What I want trans, Burlingtonians and Vermonters to hear from me today is that without you, Burlington would be less beautiful and our future would be less bright. This great city loves you, values you and celebrates you. And a way to symbolize this that is very moving to me is through this modification of the Burlington flag. As a flag for this Trans Day of Visibility and one that we have used on, I see the posters are here and t-shirts. We have had many business owners in town display this version of the flag over the past year. And I wanna thank Primrose for doing such an inspired job of taking the Burlington flag and modifying it this way. Thank you for being here today. Primrose is part of this event. Happy Trans Day of Visibility to everyone. Next, we are gonna hear from M from the Pride Center who has been one of our key partners with this initiative and so many others. And we're really proud that you're here today with us, M. Thank you. Awesome, thank you. So my name's M Russo. I use they, them pronouns. I'm the Trans Program Manager at Pride Center of Vermont. Thanks, Joe, for inviting me here today and setting this up. Thank you, Primrose, for this beautiful flag that I can't wait to look at all month. Trans Day of Visibility serves as a significant moment to recognize and celebrate the presence, achievements, and contributions of the trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities. In a world where trans individuals often face discrimination and violence and marginalization, this day provides a platform for visibility and acknowledgement of our resilience and worth. Audre Lorde's quote that visibility, which makes us most vulnerable, is that which also is the source of our greatest strength resonates deeply with me today. Underscoring the importance of not only being seen, but also having the agency and resources to thrive. Mere visibility without systemic change and empowerment can be insufficient and even harmful. Representation plays a crucial role in this context as it offers affirmation, dignity, and inspiration to individuals who have long been denied visibility and recognition. Seeing oneself reflected positively in media, local, national, and global politics, and other spheres of society is not only validating, but also instrumental in challenging stereotypes and fostering acceptance. So let this Trans Day of Visibility not only create a container for trans joy and belonging, but also act as a reminder of the importance of political participation by exercising our rights to vote, that prioritize or we can support candidates that prioritize the rights and wellbeing of the trans community. And voting is a powerful tool for effecting change and ensuring that the voices of marginalized groups are heard and respected. Thank you so much, get out there and vote. Next we're gonna hear from Robin outright. Hello everybody, thank you all so much for being here and for today. It's just incredible that we're having today. I think one of the things I wanna highlight right away is that there are hundreds of queer and trans youth right now as I speak at the State House calling for change, telling legislators what we need to ensure that they are able to thrive in this world and so that they can live as their authentic selves and that they can find their inner strength because of their identity and because they can be visible as their authentic selves. So when we think about the flag raising today and it is a gorgeous flag, thank you. When we think about the importance of the visibility of the flag and the support from this community and from the city, it is critical to building hope, equity and power and that's what today is all about. It's all about hope, it's about visibility and it's essential for us to do these types of activities and to have the types of representation that we have here today. So I just wanna say thank you to everybody for being here and also remind folks that we're very fortunate that some of us can be visible because we do have safe places to be. We do have community around us who will help us and also there are folks who cannot be visible and that is why the work that we're doing and why today in raising the flag today is so critically important is because we need to continue our work so that we create safer places and spaces where people can thrive and where people can be visible and until that day happens fully, we need to honor those who are waiting for us to get the work done. So it's now my honor and pleasure to, for the first time, get to play a role in introducing the Mayor-elect, Emma Mulvaney-Stanik to the community and again I'm proud this is initiative that we have worked on and it is an honor to be here with you today. Thank you everyone. I am Mayor-elect Emma Mulvaney-Stanik. Very excited to say those words. I use she, her pronouns and I'm so incredibly proud to stand here today on this particular important day with all of you here on Church Street and I wanna thank Mayor Weinberger. I wanna thank Prim for the amazing flag and the other speakers from the Pride Center and outright Vermont. But the most beautiful and amazing thing about this day is that it's a day of affirmation. It's an affirmation that trans folks exist and have always existed. It's an affirmation that folks who are non-binary, folks who are queer, folks who are anywhere in between have always existed in Vermont and elsewhere around the world. And I stand as the incoming Mayor who is the first out LGBTQ plus Mayor ever in the history of Burlington. And I named that because I grew up in this state in central Vermont and I did not see elected leaders who looked like. It's so important when we say representation matters. It matters because it affirms not only existence but the importance of leaders looking like who you are, sharing communities that you share, identities that you hold. And I will fight fiercely and consistently for folks who are part of the LGBTQ plus community including my trans siblings which I'm so proud today to celebrate and to stand and queer and trans joy with you as we make sure that Burlington is an affirming place to work, to live, to celebrate, to play. I really affirm all of you today. So thank you for being here today. And the last thing I'll say is that apparently the Mayor does proclamations, which is a thing I'm learning on how to do this job. And so on day one, which is really April 2nd, I invite you all to the historic swearing in on April 1st at six o'clock. But on April 2nd, my first day on the job will be issuing a proclamation to affirm this day as Trans Visibility Day for the city of Burlington. And it gives me great honor to have that be one of my first acts as Mayor. So thank you so much for coming. And I think we're gonna do something right now. Okay, here we go.