Kate Sosin is the LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th, focusing on transgender rights, incarceration, politics and public policy. Kate has conducted deep-dive investigations into transgender prison abuse and homicides for NBC News. They previously worked at Logo TV, INTO and Windy City Times.
Posts By This Author
Faith Groups Are Helping Protect Pride Events With De-escalation Trainings
Frankie Leigh (right) and Skye Michelle hold a pride flag in front of protesters at Douglas County Pride in Roseburg, Oregon, in July 2023. Image courtesy of Frankie Leigh to The 19th and republished with permission.
It was a simple wave that changed things for Frankie Leigh. Last summer’s Douglas County Pride festivities were wrapping up. It had been eight hours in near 90-degree heat, eight hours of picketers yelling at Leigh that they were going to hell. And just as the crowds were scattering, a protester called to Leigh. “See you next year!” Leigh couldn’t help but laugh. “It was that realization of like, I am going to see you every year,” Leigh said. “And I’ll probably see you in the grocery store and at the school board meeting and at these other places, too.”