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PFLAG Waterbury

About Us

Learn More About PFLAG Waterbury

Founded in 2017 PFLAG Waterbury is part the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.

Two people holding a Rainbow Heart and People in the background, blurred
What We Do

Provide Support – PFLAG Waterbury facilitates separate monthly in-person and online support groups. We also provide periodic programs for special topics and events.

Offer Education – Each month, as part of our support groups, we provide a different education topic relevant to the time of year (back-to-school, coming out, etc.).  For the parents/allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, we provide a faith-based discussion. We share our stories and trans-specific education topics. We also do periodic special programs like suicide prevention training.

Advocate – PFLAG Waterbury strives to partner with other local and National organizations to educate key decision-makers about the issues that affect our loved ones and families, and to teach others how to use their voices to amplify our efforts toward a more equitable, and just world for the LGBTQ+ community.

Meet Our Board

Vice President

Vice President

Lynn

Lynn is a founding member of PFLAG Waterbury Chapter which was started in Feb of 2017. She attended PFLAG Hartford when she was coming out as bisexual and in a same sex relationship. Lynn came out as a transgender woman 5 years ago. As a trans woman Lynn has a passion for advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community. She has been a Stonewall Speaker for 10 years and President for the past 4 years. Lynn is a co-facilitator for the Ridgefield Pride Youth support group, serves on the board of Equality CT and is active in the Waterbury Pride group. Lynn is a leader in her Open Hearts LGBTQ ministry at her Catholic Parish in Hartford, where she is also a Eucharistic minister and Sacristan. Lynn was married for 29 years, has 3 children and a foster son. One of her children identifies as gay and another as bisexual. Lynn is an engineer and resides in Farmington CT.

Secretary

Secretary

Alisa

Her journey as an LGBTQ+ ally began in her youth as she was surrounded by friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community, several of whom were fierce advocates for LGBTQ+ equality. However, it was her own journey as the mom of a young transgender child that set her on a mission to improve things here in Ridgefield and the local area. By sharing her personal story, she has helped to educate and to foster awareness & understanding in the general public, with mental health workers, educators, medical personnel, and government officials via letters, articles, gender training, and conversations. As a GSA (Genders and Sexualities Alliance) advisor, Trachtenberg launched and coordinated monthly regional meet-ups that drew 60 kids on average in an effort to bring together LGBTQ+ kids from the surrounding towns. For years, Trachtenberg had been trying to set up a more formal organization such as a PFLAG chapter, but had difficulty finding people to commit to help with it. In 2019, a friend suggested reaching out to see if Ridgefield CT Pride could fall under the umbrella of Friends of Ridgefield Community Programs. So she put a proposal together and presented it to the Ridgefield Board of Selectpersons. The rest is history. She is now Chairperson of Ridgefield CT Pride a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that was created in 2019 under the umbrella of the Friends of Ridgefield Community Programs.

The mission of Ridgefield CT Pride is to celebrate Ridgefield’s LGBTQ+ community, to educate, promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of this community, to foster a sense of belonging for our LGBTQ+ community members as well as to provide support for both LGBTQ+ individuals and their friends and family.

President

President

Shayvonne

As someone who is both an ally and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know that being supportive isn’t enough—it’s about showing up every day with a commitment to creating safety, inclusion, and respect. For me, genuine allyship starts with learning: understanding LGBTQ+ history, terminology, and the specific challenges we face, like discrimination and erasure.

It also means truly listening and making space for queer voices without speaking over them, while acknowledging the ways our identities intersect—race, gender, disability, class, and more. I make it a point to speak up when I hear homophobic or transphobic remarks, misgendering, or microaggressions, even when it’s uncomfortable—because silence isn’t an option.