Green Mountain State Update
Small moves on
At the end of her accomplished term at the state house, State Rep. Taylor Small, the first openly transgender person to be elected in Green Mountain State’s general assembly, also moved on from her post at the Pride Center of Vermont, where she had served as health & wellness program director and events & communications manager.
“Taylor has been a force for positive change and inclusivity during her time with the Pride Center,” said the center’s executive director, Phoebe Zorn. “Her vision and dedication have left an indelible mark, and we are proud to have had her as a part of our community. We wish Taylor continued success in her future endeavors and are confident that she will bring the same passion and leadership to her new role at the University of Vermont Medical Center.”
Said Small, “My time at the Pride Center of Vermont has been an incredible journey of growth and impact. I am grateful for the support, collaboration, and shared accomplishments with this remarkable community. As I step into this new role, I will carry the lessons and spirit of Pride with me.”
She now begins a new role at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Standing up to backlash
Just over a year since US Rep. Becca Balint became the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to represent Vermont in Congress, she spoke with the Brattleboro Reformer about hitting the ground running in one of the most tempestuous sessions in our country’s history.
Among numerous issues, she touched on what it was like to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights in the face of Republican opposition.
“I was surprised by the extent to which some of my Republican colleagues want to infuse each committee hearing, regardless of the topic, with attacks on the LGBT community and specifically on Americans who identify as trans(gender),” Balint told the Reformer.
“I was gonna say it’s approaching the realm of the ridiculous but, honestly, it’s just much more mean-spirited than that. It was a decision that the Republican Party made going into this Congress that they were going to target trans Americans, because their polling showed that’s the place where they could whip up their base and … engage on in a negative sense. I was surprised by that. And I felt like it continues to be my job to stand up for the basic humanity and dignity of all Americans,” she said.
“I think that goes to the heart of what is so troubling to me, that we can disagree on policy positions, but when I feel like the hearings are geared towards getting Americans to hate each other, that’s not good for politics. But more deeply, it’s not good for our communities, it’s not good for our nation, and that is something I see as a really powerful voice that I can use.”
Drag queen story hour support
Back in November, the Samara Fund of the Vermont Foundation awarded $4,000 to the Vermont chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour.
The funding aims to “provide storyteller stipends, mileage reimbursements, equipment and supplies to produce 10 Drag Story Hour-VT programs throughout rural Vermont, free of charge for libraries to host and audiences to attend.”
“I was a queer kid in rural Vermont, and this wasn’t available to me,” Justin Marsh (aka Emoji Nightmare) of DQSH-VT told WCAX TV-3. “I think that’s what’s really important about not only story hour, but organizations like Outright Vermont. They’re really allowing space for youth to arm themselves with the knowledge of gender and sexuality.”
More: Drag Queen Story Hour – VT (Facebook); vermontcf.org
LGBT population study
Vermont is the US state with the third highest number of adults identifying as LGBT—some 37,600 or 7.4 percent, the highest percentage in New England, according to a new national survey by the Williams Institute at UCLA.
The Williams Institute recently released a study on their survey, called “Adult LGBT Population in the United States,” which includes the state-by-state (and District of Columbia) breakdown.
The Williams Institute is a leading research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.
More: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu
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