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Commissioners weigh a March visibility 5K fundraiser, outreach and a debate over Canva graphics
Summary
Middletown’s LGBTQIA+ Commission discussed planning a March visibility 5K to benefit Trans Lifeline or The Trevor Project, venue and volunteer logistics, and addressed a Facebook comment accusing a posted graphic of being AI-generated; commissioners generally said Canva is acceptable for regular posts.
Commissioners at the Middletown LGBTQIA+ Commission meeting on Dec. 17 discussed plans for early-2026 events, including a proposed March 5K walk/run to raise funds for transgender services and increase community visibility.
Committee member (S5) proposed "a 5 k walk run fundraiser for, you know, Trans Lifeline or the Trevor Project," saying the event would both raise funds and encourage community and ally participation. Commissioners discussed time constraints for organizing a March event, weather risks for an outdoor run and whether an indoor venue might be necessary. Committee member (S3) suggested Wesleyan’s indoor track as an option and Chair (S1) suggested contacting the Albritton Center’s community partnerships to help secure space or partners.
On logistics, commissioners discussed recruiting volunteers from local companies to handle sign-ins, ordering participant shirts as part of fundraising and using existing community organizers in Middletown to help scale the event. Committee member (S4) noted budget implications for paying outside designers if a graphic is commissioned rather than produced in-house.
A separate exchange touched off when Committee member (S4) said they posted a Thanksgiving graphic made in Canva and received a Facebook comment accusing the image of being "AI." S4 asked, "Does Canva count as AI now?" Other commissioners responded that Canva is acceptable for regular posts but suggested tagging or marking content with a 'human-made' label when appropriate to signal community involvement in art production.
Commissioners also recapped recent events — including a well-attended Pridesgiving dinner (attendance figures described as "almost 80" in the transcript), a successful game night with about 40 participants, and several social and support gatherings — and previewed a Jan. 1 'First Day' queer hike. No formal funding decisions or contracts were made; commissioners were asked to develop budgets and bring event proposals to the January meeting for formal approval.
