Green Mountain State Update
Double rainbows
The Burlington Free Press celebrated the last day of Pride month by sharing photos posted on social media of “a vivid double rainbow [that] stretched across the Burlington sky, through a sea of dusk’s cotton candy hues on June 30.”
“Rainbows have been closely associated with the queer community ever since 1978, when gay politician Harvey Milk commissioned gay artist, Vietnam War veteran and drag-performer, Gilbert Baker, to create a flag for San Francisco’s annual Pride parade, according to a History article,” Wrote Free Press reporter Ella Ruehsen.
“Last night, Burlington and several other towns in Vermont witnessed a lovely, awe-inspiring embodiment of that which has come to represent the LGBTQ+ community for decades, closing out Pride month with perfect symbolism.”
Vermont Reads
The Vermont Humanities Council selected the LGBTQ young adult novel “We Contain Multitudes” for its Vermont Reads program‘s book selection of 2021.
Partnering with schools, libraries and community organizations, Vermont Reads is providing some 4,000 free copies to groups that include Outright Vermont, Recovery Vermont, the Howard Center and the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence’s Youth Advocacy Task Force, reports VT Digger.
“It felt important to acknowledge that queer kids exist and in fairly large numbers in Vermont, and that mainstream organizations should support these young people,” Council Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup told VT Digger.
“It shouldn’t always have to be just the LGBTQ groups who are addressing LGBTQ issues. We can all talk about diversity in our communities,” Ilstrup said.
More: vermonthumanities.org/vermont-reads/vermont-reads-2021
A permanent home
Outright Vermont has exceeded their goal in a capital campaign of $850,000 to make “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” a reality by purchasing their current home at 241 N. Winooski Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End. (They raised a total of $886,613!)
Their current space already provided LGBTQ+ youth and 5,400+ square feet in a vibrant and welcoming neighborhood, access for folks with disabilities, proximity to health and more support services, nooks for introverts and spaciousness for extroverts plus plenty of room for education, events and staff.
Owning this space now adds precious stability to all of this and so much more for this 30-year-old-and-growing organzation.
As one Outright youth puts it, “Outright is a sacred space to me. Every time I go, I feel relieved. Relieved to be myself, to be validated and respected, to be treated with kindness, with no judgment, and where I can express myself. The moment someone validated my pronouns, my sexuality, my expression, my entire being—it changed me forever,”
More: outrightvermont.org
Name/gender change guide
The Pride Center of Vermont posted a handy online guide to “Changing Your Gender Marker and/or Legal Name in Vermont” on its blog.
“Changing your legal name and/or gender marker can take a lot of time, consideration, planning, and patience … and the next steps can seem overwhelming and daunting. However, you don’t have to do it alone. Our SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program & Trans Program are here to support you through this,” they say, and that’s exactly what they do in their guide.
In it, you’ll find simple, clear directions that talk one through making name changes through probate court, on birth certificates and on fee waiver forms, and making gender marker changes on state documents even for those not born in Vermont. Plus there’s tips on what to do if one’s application is denied. And when accepted what to do next, like updating one’s social security card and driver’s license.
More: pridecentervt.org (and click on “News”)
