Green Mountain State Update
Transgender candidates
In the August 11 state primary, three transgender women ran to represent their districts in the state where Democrat Christine Hallquist made history as the first transgender woman to win a major party’s nomination for governor two years ago.
Taylor Small, director of health and wellness at Pride Center of Vermont, ran to rep Winooski in her Chittenden district at the statehouse. Ember Quinn, a substitute teacher, ran to rep Milton, and small business owner Jamie Dufour ran to rep Manchester.
And on Aug. 11 Small won her race, and Quinn also advanced to the general election. If elected on Nov. 3, they’ll be among the first transgender legislators in the state.
Small received the endorsements of both Hallquist and current LGBTQ State Rep. Diana Gonzalez, who was not running for reelection. Even Small’s opponent, Jordan Matte, had kind words for her, telling VTDigger he “thinks it’s ‘great’ that Small is bringing her perspective to this race.”
“I am definitely proud that there are three trans women running for office,” Hallquist told VTDigger in early August. “It’s nice to know that when you give up everything and commit to something that it has some level of impact.”
Pride, BLM flags fly over schools
After careful consideration by a school board in Vermont, the LGBTQ Pride flag and Black Lives Matter flag will fly over all public schools in Clarendon, North Clarendon, Shrewsbury, Wallingford and Tinmouth, Vermont.
The proposal, put forth by high school senior Reese Eldert-Moore, focused on countering racist policies throughout the Mill River Unified Union School District, according to a report in the online independent news source VTDigger. The proposal included raising the Black Lives Matter flag. Upon accepting the proposal back in June, the school board added the Pride flag to be raised over the schools as well, to support its LGBTQ students.
“When I attended Mill River, students would use hateful terms and slang constantly, whether they knew it or not,” Mill River Union High 2015 graduate Christian Brand told VTDigger. “Imagine how I and others would have felt if we saw a Pride flag wave across the school grounds? How we could have been given the chance earlier to be ourselves and thrive.”
Queer caravan
White River Junction celebrated its first-ever Pride parade despite the COVID-19 pandemic that’s forced so many other Prides, from big cities to smaller communities, to go off-road and online.
And White River Junction Pride did it all from the socially distanced safety of an all-mobile “Queer Caravan” of decorated vehicles rolling through downtown to the beat of LGBTQ+ performing artists playing over radio 93.9 The River.
Anna Guenther, chair and founder of the town’s Pride planning committee, told Valley News, “One of the key things motivating me to move forward is it’s not just about this year. It’s about the next five years and the next 10 years. White River Junction is my home and I want us to have a Pride celebration and I think other people want us to have it too. I think a lot of us just passionately love our town and it’s a town that already loves parades.”
New hire for GLAM
Pride Center of Vermont and its GLAM Vermont program have a new health and wellness coordinator and his name is Richard A. Elliott.
“Richard brings with him a very welcoming and inclusive approach to public health that is truly invaluable for the work we do in this program,” stated Taylor Small, the center’s director of health and wellness, in a press release. “As we continue to push for expanded healthcare access for LGBTQ+ Vermonters, his experience and perspective in doing that work will only strengthen our abilities.”
Elliott has had five years prior experience in the LGBTQ health care system not only as a client, but as community health outreach educator at Project REAL, a Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey program. He earned his undergraduate degree in special education from Kean University.
“I’m heartened to be a part of the family at Pride Center of Vermont,” said Elliott. “This work is meaningful and powerful, and I’m excited to be an advocate and educator for LGBTQ+ Vermonters and their health.”—R. Payne
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