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Connections
Connections

Being transgender in Rochester

By Racquel Stephen,
Elissa Orlando, Veronica Volk, Julie Williams
Published July 15, 2025 at 3:04 PM EDT
Four people sit or stand in the corner of a radio talk studio: a guest far left has long dark hair and is wearing a black sweater vest over a brown and beige striped blouse; a guest near left is wearing a black baseball cap, pink blazer and black t-shirt with a rainbow colored emblem; a woman near right has short blonde hair and is wearing headphones and a dark green blouse; a guest far right has a brown beard and is wearing a grey newsboy cap, a maroon and cream striped button-down shirt and jeans.
Mitch Herring
/
WXXI News
Javannah Davis, Brittan Hardges and Rocco Vallerand with host Racquel Stephen on "Connections" on Tuesday, July 15, 2025
A smiling woman with short blonde hair sits at a desk in front of a microphone wearing a gold necklace and green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

As Rochester prepares for Pride weekend, several proposed laws and executive orders appear to put the transgender community in the crosshairs.

Host Racquel Stephen discusses the current political climate with local organizers who are working on these issues. We’ll also look at national polling revealing the complex feelings of Americans about transgender people.

Our guests:

Connections
Racquel Stephen
Racquel Stephen is WXXI's health, equity and community reporter and producer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
See stories by Racquel Stephen
Elissa Orlando
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
See stories by Elissa Orlando
Veronica Volk
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
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Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams