Connecticut Mother searching for her transgender child missing for a week

Ronan Hernsdorf-Smith

A Silver alert has been issued for Ronan Hernsdorf-Smith, 17, who was last seen after their first day at Avon High School on Aug. 30. Ronan's mother used they/them pronouns when speaking of her child in a version of this interview published on the Fox 61 News site.

The Connecticut State Police issued a Silver Alert over the weekend for Ronan Hernsdorf-Smith and the investigation now involves multiple investigating agencies including the FBI.

The 17-year-old, who has been missing for eight days, comes from a loving home with a big support system, but their young life hasn’t been easy. Ronan is transgender and has struggled with mental health issues as first reported by Fox 61. Their family says they are vulnerable and may be in grave danger.

The teenager disappeared after the first day of school at Avon High School. They left their family a note that read, "I love you all so much. Thank you for everything. I'm so sorry."

Speaking with Avon PD about investigation into the disapperance of Ronan Hernsdorf-Smith. PD says not enough evidence right now to make definitive connection to human trafficking and as of now there are no suspects or persons of interest. @FOX61News pic.twitter.com/NVm1WkQAxt

— Matt Caron (@MattCaronTV) September 7, 2021

The Hersdorf family thanked the Avon community for their support. The community plans to show that support at the Avon town green gazebo for a vigil at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Security and Exchange Commission Approves Nasdaq Diversity Proposal

Image by giggel, CC BY 3.0, Link

The new non-binding rules Bloomberg Law first reported will encourage over 3,700 public companies listed on Nasdaq to elect one woman and one LGBTQI person or under-represented minority to their board of directors.

Nasdaq, with a collective market capitalization of over $19 trillion—only slightly less than the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with a total listed market cap of $25.5 trillion is a major player in the world economy.

Under the rules, which were first proposed in December 2020, each Nasdaq-listed company (subject to certain exemptions) will be required to have, or explain why it does not have, at least one director who self-identifies as female and one director who is either an “Underrepresented Minority” or is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+).

“Underrepresented Minority” is defined as “an individual who self-identifies as one or more of the following: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or Two or More Races or Ethnicities.” 

If a company does not meet Nasdaq’s applicable standard for board diversity, it will be required to disclose its failure to achieve this standard and the reasons why it was not able to do so. This disclosure must be made in advance of the company’s next shareholder meeting in a proxy statement or on the company’s website. Nasdaq has stated that it will not substantively evaluate companies’ explanations of their failure to meet the standard.