Green Mountain State Update
Balint runs for congress
Vermont’s first openly LGBT State Senate Pro Tempore, Becca Balint, announced this morning she’s running for Congress. If elected, she would also become Vermont’s first woman elected to Congress.
“I’m running because I believe that, even with the challenges of today, we cannot back away from fighting for each other,” Balint said in a written statement. “We have to deliver on some big promises for Vermont working families, and that is going to take courage and kindness.”
Reports VT Digger, “Balint’s decision to join the race is the latest in a series of moves touched off by Sen. Patrick Leahy’s announcement last month that he would retire when his eighth term expires in January 2023. That has led to a great reshuffling of Vermont’s political landscape — opening up at least four top positions: seats in the U.S. Senate and House, the lieutenant governorship and, now, the pro tem post.”
A Pride Center promotion
Pride Center of Vermont has promoted Kell Arbor from coordinator to director of health and Wellness, a role where they’ll lead the Center’s team of coordinators who support and sustain programming that addresses disparities in LGBTQIA+ health.
These programs include the Center’s HIV prevention and testing programs, primarily focused on the CDC’s Mpowerment Program (GLAM); referrals and linkage to care with embedded PrEP navigation; the Vermont Diversity Health Project (VDHP); QTPOC Programming (Thrive); Women’s Programming (Glow); and training facilitation.
“Our ability to thrive in healthy ways demands that we work the inner core of systems that neglect and negate us. This work is my heart work, as our wellness can only be as liberated as the greater whole,” said Arbor. “I bring that deep heart passion of a harm reduction educator with the creative adaptability of someone who has been in the field for many years.”
Born and raised in the Green Mountain State, Arbor graduated from University of Maine and earned their MA in whole systems design. Prior to coming to the Pride Center, Arbor was HIV testing and education manager at Vermont Cares.
The position was previously held by state Rep. Taylor Small, who shifted her role to education program manager to give her more flexibility during the legislative session.
More pridecentervt.org
New schools task force
Burlington’s school district is forming an LGBTQ+ Task Force made up of students and community members.
“We’re hoping to have a task force of 11 members and we’re hoping to have 5 to 6 students with a student co-chair who’s really deciding how the work takes place. With that kind of a balance with the 50-50 student-adult youth-adult partnership voice we’re hoping that that kind of really prioritizes that students are leading the conversation,” Autumn Bangoura, district equity instructional leader, told WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
That work, reports WAMC, will be all about creating “a plan of action that recognizes the district’s strengths and provides recommendations for improvements to support the district’s LGBTQ+ community.”
“We’re doing a lot better as a school district to really lift up and empower youth leadership,” said Bangoura. “And I think one of the things that we’re going to do right from the beginning is just really emphasize student voice so that they’re allowed to really share stories and to really make recommendations. Because schools are about students and the improvements we want to make for them.”
Task Force meetings were set to have begun in January, as this issue went to press, with their first recommendations to be submitted by April 30.
HRC Municipal Equality Index
New England earned leading scores once again on the Human Rights Campaign’s 10th annual Municipal Equality Index.
In the Green Mountain State, Burlington came in at 92, Montpelier 64, Winooski 60, Rutland and South Burlington 59, Brattleboro and Essex 58, Castleton 46 and Barre 44.
The index measures LGBTQ inclusivity in municipal laws, policies and services for LGBTQ people in cities and some other communities with a strong LGBTQ presence across the US. Scores are based on 49 different criteria from employment, housing, credit, education, public services, transgender health care and anti-conversion therapy laws.
More: hrc.org
