Green Mountain State Update
Con Hogan honoree
Vermont Community Foundation awarded HB Lozito, executive director of the Brattleboro, Vermont–based nonprofit Out in the Open, its Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial Community Leadership. Lozito was honored for their work with the nonprofit, which connects rural LGBTQ people throughout the state.
The award was named for the life work of Con Hogan and rewards leaders “who share his vision of a Vermont that places the highest value on the public good,” notes the VCF website.
Reports the Brattleboro Reformer, “Through Lozito’s leadership, Out in the Open has expanded its efforts to build a multi-issue, multiracial social justice movement of rural LGBTQ+ people. For over a decade, Lozito has been instrumental not only in creating safe and thriving places for rural LGBTQ+ people but also in building long-term visibility, knowledge, and power in the community, searching out previously uncollected data to support this work. They have helped redefine what it means to be queer and live rurally.”
The honor comes with a $15,000 prize, which Lozito received at a ceremony held at Vermont College of Fine Arts in October.
More: vermontcf.org
New leadership at Pride Center
Pride Center of Vermont has a new executive director—Phoebe Zorn, promoted from their prior role as the Center’s director of development and communications.
“We could not be more appreciative of Phoebe’s continued commitment to this organization and her eagerness to collaborate on shaping this role and the center as a whole,” said PCV board members Caryn Olivetti and Daniel Zeese in their announcement of Zorn’s appointment, which also noted that Zorn is a sixth-generation Vermonter.
“I am excited to step into this new role and dig even deeper into guiding Pride Center’s next era,” Zorn said. “We have a lot of work and growth ahead of us as an organization, and I am honored to be selected to lead us towards a sustainable, stable future.”
More: pridecentervt.org
Affirming trans, nonbinary students
South Burlington, Vermont’s school district has drafted a new, affirming policy for transgender and nonbinary students.
“I think if we are asking teachers to create inclusive variances in their daily lessons for students, in today’s political climate, it’s really important to have the protection of a policy to support our teachers in taking risks and feeling comfortable in doing the work best for our students,” Monica Desrochers, the district’s director of DEI, anti-racism and social emotional learning, told VTDigger.com.
According to VTDigger, Desrochers worked with students to draft the six-page policy and vetted it with both Burlington High School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the middle school’s Sexuality Alliance and Queer Straight Alliance. They based it on Vermont Agency of Education’s 2017 guidelines along with Champlain Valley School District’s newly approved policies that include more affirmative language.
At press time for this issue, the draft policy was set to receive two additional public readings at school board meetings before it could be implemented. Boston Spirit is following the story and will report the outcome on our website, bostonspiritmagazine.com, and in the next issue.
HRC Municipal Equality Index
For the sixth consecutive year, scores increased across the United States on Human Rights Campaign’s 12th annual Municipal Equality Index, and New England communities were once again at the forefront.
On a scale of 0–100, the Index measures how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are for LGBTQ+ people who live and work in select municipalities of various sizes within each state. Communities are rated based on nondiscrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.
In Vermont, Burlington came in at 89, Montpelier 64, Rutland 63, Winooski 62, South Burlington 61, Brattleboro and Essex 60, Castleton 48 and Barre 46.
More: hrc.org
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