Wilton Pride “Ask Me Anything”

Wilton Pride has scheduled its inaugural event, a community forum called “Ask Me Anything” on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 7-9 p.m. at Trackside Teen Center (15 Station Rd.).

The event is geared towards Wilton youth and parents and is intended to be educational. There will be a panel of “LGBTQ+ representatives” and attendees will be able to ask questions (anonymously and in advance), and connect with resources in what Wilton Pride promises will be a “safe and supportive environment.”

Panel members include:

• Clinical psychotherapist Michele Battey (moderator)
• Cadence Pentheny, Triangle Community Center Community Educator
• Heather Schlitz, Middlebrook School physical education teacher; co-leader of Middlebrook’s Youth-2-Youth, W.E.B. (eighth-grade leadership training) and Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Club
• Drew McConnell, Barcelona Wine Bar Director of Brand Marketing and fiancé Jaron Thomas, Doctor of Audiology
• Rob Comerford, Wilton resident; Deloitte’s U.S. Audit and Assurance Practice Chief Knowledge Officer and LGBTQIA+ Community Resource Group leader

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies are invited, and anyone wishing to attend is required to register online in advance.

The registration includes the statement that organizers “have worked very hard to make this event a safe place.” That includes requiring anyone wishing to attend to sign a Code of Conduct as part of the online registration. The Code of Conduct includes prohibiting cell phones and other recording devices inside Trackside during the event, requiring attendees to treat other event attendees “with courtesy and consideration,” and asking attendees to “behave in a manner that is consistent with an environment free from discrimination, harassment or hate and… refrain from any conduct that infringes on the rights of others.”

The code adds that anyone displaying disruptive or disrespectful behavior or breaching the Code of Conduct will be required to leave the event.