Green Mountain State Update
FLood disaster relief for LGBTQ+ Vermonters
Out in the Open—the state’s nonprofit that connects rural LGBTQ people to build community, visibility, knowledge and power—is gathering donations for LGBTQ+ Vermonters affected by the recent flooding in July.
“Many folks here are alienated from their families of origin,” Out in the Open community organizer Jake McBride told Vermont Public. “That often happens in the LGBTQ community as people get disowned or are pushed out of their families or communities of origin. And so while many locals are evacuating flooded homes, to nearby family members, that might be much more challenging for folks who don’t have local family.”
More: weareoutintheopen.org/flood-relief
Barbie world
For her Stuck in Vermont video series, filmmaker Eva Sollberger created an amazing tribute to Shelburne’s own Peter Harrigan, Stan Baker and the 600 Barbie dolls Harrigan has collected over some 30 years plus Baker’s own Ken doll collection.
As SevenDaysVT.com points out in their presentation of the video (“Barbie Collector, Episode 695, Stuck in Vermont), Harrigan, a theater professor at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, and Baker, a psychotherapist, participated in the 1997 lawsuit to legalize marriage equality that resulted in the legalization of same-sex civil unions in the Green Mountain State. The two wed, themselves, in 2010.
Writes Sollberger for SevenDays, “Harrigan is the main collector in the family, and he creates intricate dioramas displaying the dolls in a variety of settings, including some Ken-only spaces. He keeps perfectly organized shelves of shoes, jewelry, clothing, furniture and miniature items that he has collected over the years from many sources. Baker collects Ken dolls, and the two have attended a variety of Barbie conventions together over the years.”.
Check them out in Sollberger’s video at: youtu.be/nmWtfUnTrKw
Big Hartman takes the helm
The Vermont Human Rights Commission has named Big Hartman, a staff attorney with the organization, as its first openly queer, nonbinary person as executive director.
Reports VTDigger.com, “Hartman, 43, stood out from the other applicants in terms of energy and lived experience, including breaking barriers as an attorney, said Rep. Kevin ‘Coach’ Christie, D-Hartford, who chairs the commission.”
“Hartman, the first openly queer, nonbinary person to be the commission’s director, “understands from a day-to-day perspective the plight of our protected classes,” Christie said in an interview.”
“We know that LGBTQ+ youth are counting on adults in these leadership positions to help make significant strides towards eradicating discrimination, particularly in the systems that serve youth,” Outright Vermont Executive Director Dana Kaplan told VTDigger.
The mission of the Vermont Human Rights Commission is to promote full civil and human rights in Vermont. The Commission protects people from unlawful discrimination in housing, state government employment, and public accommodations.
More: hrc.vermont.gov
A Mom’s Love
Sarah Celotto says her love for her trans son inspired her to create the nonprofit that just put on the first Pride event in Guilford, Vermont.
When her son, Cameron Celotto, came out as transgender, Sarah told Vermont Public she got right to work.
“I was scared. I grew up in a straight world. I grew up in an Irish Catholic, conservative, traditional family. And it was an amazing family. But we didn’t know anybody in the LGBTQ community, so I didn’t know anything about them.”
As for Cameron’s dad, “A year ago, if you told me that I would be going to a Pride event, I would have asked you, ‘What is a Pride event?’”
Now the whole family knows all about the hard work and love it takes to put on a Pride event.
“First of all, it’s a lot [of work] to get this all together,” Cameron told Vermont Public. “And although there is, like, an infinite amount of love and support, there are also a few that are negative about it. And I think that worries a lot of people.”
“I think it’s because we are such a liberal community that nobody really felt the need for [a Pride event],” Sarah added. “[The LGBTQ+] community is welcome everywhere. I didn’t really see [any discrimination] until I had a child that was immersed in the [LGBTQ+] community. And some of the things that began to be said to him and how lonely he was at certain times.”
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