Green Mountain State Update
Balint wins second term
It’s fair to call it a landslide. In the Nov. 5, 2024 general election, US Congresswoman Becca Balint, a Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, retained her US Congressional seat with 64.4 percent of the vote versus her challengers’ 29.9 percent for Republican candidate Mark Coester, 5.5 percent for Independent Adam Ortiz, and 2.2 percent for Peace and Justice Party candidate Jill Diamondstone.
Balint made history in 2022 when Green Mountain State voters elected her the first woman and first openly LGBTQ US Congressperson from Vermont. During her previous term as state senator, she also became the state’s first openly LGBTQ and woman Senate pro tempore.
“Take note and take heart: Vermont is a place where kindness and integrity and courage matter,” Balint told her supporters of the 2022 win. “Vermont is a place where the daughter of an immigrant dad and a working-class mom can be the first woman and the first gay person to represent Vermont in the US House of Representatives.”
Accepting her win in 2024, she told supporters, “Thank you for believing in me, for believing in the work that I do, and for absolutely believing in democracy. I thank you so, so sincerely for your support. It has been the honor of my life to represent Vermont over these last two years in Congress.”
Balint supports McBride
Despite pushback from certain far-right members of Congress, many Democratic members of the US House of Representative are voicing support for US Rep.-Elect Sarah McBride, who Delaware voters elected to be the first openly transgender Congressperson.
“We have your back,” US Rep. Becca Balint recalled fellow reps telling McBride, according to a report in the LA Times. “We stand with you.”
According to Balint, reports the Times: “[M]any Democratic members are excited to welcome and meet McBride — not just as a queer history maker, but as a new colleague whose reputation as an effective state legislator in Delaware preceded her to Washington.
“The support has been intentionally loud, Balint said, because they also want to send an unequivocal message to House Republicans who have targeted McBride with bigotry and bullying in recent days that Democrats ‘are not going to retreat’ on transgender rights.
“‘We have to absolutely recommit ourselves to this fight, for protecting everyone’s inherent dignity,’ Balint said.”
Pride Center support
In the wake of the Nov. 5. election, Phoebe Zorn, executive director of the Pride Center of Vermont, send out a message of support, which reads in part:
“This moment may feel heavy, and it is important to make space for grief and to take care of one another right now. It is also important to remember that our resilience is our strength. Our communities have weathered many storms, and together, we have found ways to thrive, support one another, and fight for our liberation and the liberation of people everywhere. Today more than ever, Pride Center remains committed to empowering and uplifting Vermont’s LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities, fighting oppression, and centering those most impacted by discrimination and systemic violence. The work of building community and taking care of each other right here where we live doesn’t change. It will adapt to new and worsening conditions, but it doesn’t change. …
“As we look ahead, we remain focused on providing essential services and fostering spaces for solidarity and healing. We will continue to advocate for our rights, work with partners at all levels, and support one another through the uncertainty. We urge our individual and institutional collaborators and allies to join us in actively and visibly supporting marginalized communities during this time, standing together in collective action as our liberation is intertwined.
“Stay connected with us through social media and email for upcoming events and organizing initiatives. Together, we will face what comes next with courage, compassion, and an unyielding commitment to liberation.”
More: pridecentervt.org
HRC Congressional Scorecard
The Human Rights Campaign in October released its Congressional Scorecard, which measures support for LGBTQ+ equality in the 118th US Congress. Once again, US Senators and Representatives from New England earned a near-perfect score.
Scores are based on an assessment of each Senator’s and US Representative’s votes on key LGBTQ+ issues as well as their support for (or lack therefore of) LGBTQ+ communities.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, both Democrats, earned perfect 100s, as did Congresswoman Becca Balint.
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