BALTIMORE — Baltimore is one of only a handful of cities nationwide to host a Trans Pride as a separate event from the more traditional Pride celebrations.
On Saturday, the event kicked off with a parade through North Charles Street, followed by a block party.
This year’s festivities honored the life of community advocate Meghan Riley Lewis, a trans woman who was killed back in December last year in Bel Air.
Prior to her death, Lewis created a support group for transgender people. Days before, she organized a holiday dinner for community members with nowhere else to go, says Baltimore's Safe Haven.
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According to friends and loved ones, Lewis was often heard chiming her signature catchphrase, “Stay Sparkly,” this year’s theme for Trans Pride.
Ronnie Taylor, director of operations at Baltimore's Safe Haven, said the trans community is using this theme "to continue on with her legacy and her work. We're going to stay sparkly and do it like Meghan would."
Following the parade, a street renaming ceremony happened at the corner of North Carles Street and 21st Street in honor of trans rights advocate Iya Dammons.
