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LGBT
Saturday, June 12, 2021
LGBT / News Students Lead the Way in Hinesburg’s First-Ever Pride Parade
Posted
By Sara Fleming
on Sat, Jun 12, 2021 at 5:30 PM
A cheerful crowd of people marched Saturday in Hinesburg's first-ever pride parade, carrying rainbow flags and signs supporting the LGBTQ community.
Students and staff from the Champlain Valley School District organized the event. It included a march from Champlain Valley Union High School to a celebration at Hinesburg Community School, complete with speeches, pride-themed art and ice cream. Marchers carried signs that announced, "We embrace and celebrate you. You are amazing!" and "Hinesburg LGBTQ+ Pride."
“We wanted to show our support for people in our community that don’t always feel it,” Samantha Raymond said. She's a rising junior at CVU who helped emcee the event.
Students and staff from the Champlain Valley School District organized the event. It included a march from Champlain Valley Union High School to a celebration at Hinesburg Community School, complete with speeches, pride-themed art and ice cream. Marchers carried signs that announced, "We embrace and celebrate you. You are amazing!" and "Hinesburg LGBTQ+ Pride."
“We wanted to show our support for people in our community that don’t always feel it,” Samantha Raymond said. She's a rising junior at CVU who helped emcee the event.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Burlington / LGBT Amid Backlash, Group Cancels Burlington Talk on Transgender 'Agenda'
Posted
By Molly Walsh
on Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 11:14 PM
An organization called Gender Critical Vermont has canceled a public discussion about "the unforeseen consequences of the transgender agenda," saying planned protests would make for an unsafe environment.
The event had been set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.
Critics caught wind of the event and vowed to protest the discussion they considered to be an attack on transgender people and their rights.
"The response of the transgender activist community in Burlington follows a familiar pattern of eroding the principles of free speech and rational discussion," Gender Critical Vermont wrote in an email Monday afternoon announcing the cancelation.
Peggy Luhrs, a Burlington resident and lesbian activist since the 1970s, is one of the founders of the group and was scheduled to speak at the event. She told Seven Days the decision to cancel is only temporary.
"We will reschedule," Luhrs said. "We're going to look for a bigger venue, we're going to look for a place where we can have security. There's just no point in having a screaming match."
The event had been set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.
Critics caught wind of the event and vowed to protest the discussion they considered to be an attack on transgender people and their rights.
"The response of the transgender activist community in Burlington follows a familiar pattern of eroding the principles of free speech and rational discussion," Gender Critical Vermont wrote in an email Monday afternoon announcing the cancelation.
Peggy Luhrs, a Burlington resident and lesbian activist since the 1970s, is one of the founders of the group and was scheduled to speak at the event. She told Seven Days the decision to cancel is only temporary.
"We will reschedule," Luhrs said. "We're going to look for a bigger venue, we're going to look for a place where we can have security. There's just no point in having a screaming match."
Friday, October 4, 2019
Health / LGBT / News Funding Cuts Force Vermont's 2-1-1 Help Line to Reduce Hours
Posted
By Kevin McCallum
on Fri, Oct 4, 2019 at 6:14 PM
Vermonters in need can no longer call 2-1-1 after hours to get help accessing emergency housing or other social services following sharp cutbacks to the program.
As of October 1, the previously 24-7 hotline has pared back its hours to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Advocates fear the cut will leave people with few options at times they need help the most.
As of October 1, the previously 24-7 hotline has pared back its hours to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Advocates fear the cut will leave people with few options at times they need help the most.
"This is another example of the state deciding to stop providing services to some of the most vulnerable Vermonters,” said Karen Tronsgard-Scott, executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
The move follows similar cutbacks to court programs for domestic violence victims in Lamoille and Washington counties, which Tronsgard-Scott said have been discussed for years but occurred recently with little warning.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Business / LGBT / Media / News Media Note: Vermont Woman Publishes Final Issue, Seeks Buyer
Posted
By Molly Walsh
on Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 6:02 PM
Vermont Woman, a newspaper founded 34 years ago that rejected stale stereotypes about what constituted women's issues, has published its final edition and is for sale.
"Letting go is tough. Anytime a newspaper closes, the community it served loses," publisher Suzanne Gillis wrote in the farewell issue that hit newsstands on September 6.
The tribute examines the paper's legacy of reporting on news, arts and the politics of everything from reproductive rights to feminism.
"We did not cover fashion, diets or hairdos," Gillis wrote. As the publication sought to shine a spotlight on the inequities facing women, it rarely included men's viewpoints because, Gillis explained, "they were massively covered in the dominant male-owned and -staffed media."
The goodbye includes a note that the paper is for sale for an unspecified price.
"Letting go is tough. Anytime a newspaper closes, the community it served loses," publisher Suzanne Gillis wrote in the farewell issue that hit newsstands on September 6.
The tribute examines the paper's legacy of reporting on news, arts and the politics of everything from reproductive rights to feminism.
"We did not cover fashion, diets or hairdos," Gillis wrote. As the publication sought to shine a spotlight on the inequities facing women, it rarely included men's viewpoints because, Gillis explained, "they were massively covered in the dominant male-owned and -staffed media."
The goodbye includes a note that the paper is for sale for an unspecified price.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
News / Religion / LGBT During Evangelist's Swing Through Vermont, Picketers Greet His Flock
Posted
By Derek Brouwer
on Tue, May 21, 2019 at 10:10 PM
A rainbow-themed welcome wagon greeted the thousands who drove to Champlain Valley Exposition on Tuesday to hear evangelist Franklin Graham's star-spangled message of sin and salvation.
Fifty or so picketers bearing LGBTQ pride flags, bodysuits and hoodies flanked the entrance to the Expo grounds in an eccentric, polite protest of the preacher's anti-gay positions. One man played an accordion.
Rebecca Roose tied a pride flag around her neck like a cape and held a fluorescent sign that offered "Free hugs for sinners."
"I don't believe in the hate he is spewing, and I needed to do something, even though I have protest fatigue," she said.
Fifty or so picketers bearing LGBTQ pride flags, bodysuits and hoodies flanked the entrance to the Expo grounds in an eccentric, polite protest of the preacher's anti-gay positions. One man played an accordion.
Rebecca Roose tied a pride flag around her neck like a cape and held a fluorescent sign that offered "Free hugs for sinners."
"I don't believe in the hate he is spewing, and I needed to do something, even though I have protest fatigue," she said.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Immigration / LGBT Migrant LGBTQ Leader Faces Deportation After ICE Arrest at Courthouse
Posted
By Kymelya Sari
on Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 11:14 AM
A Mexican dairy worker and leader in the immigrant LGBTQ community faces deportation after immigration agents arrested him on New Year's Eve inside a Middlebury courthouse.
Cruz Alberto Sanchez-Perez, known as Beto, had just pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence when he was scooped up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to Migrant Justice.
The 26-year-old farmworker, who has been in the country since 2015, has filed for asylum in the U.S., claiming that he faced persecution in his home country based on his sexual orientation. After his arrest on immigration charges, Sanchez-Perez was being held at the Strafford County, N.H., detention center and was due to appear at an immigration court in Boston on Thursday, Migrant Justice said.
Cruz Alberto Sanchez-Perez, known as Beto, had just pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence when he was scooped up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to Migrant Justice.
The 26-year-old farmworker, who has been in the country since 2015, has filed for asylum in the U.S., claiming that he faced persecution in his home country based on his sexual orientation. After his arrest on immigration charges, Sanchez-Perez was being held at the Strafford County, N.H., detention center and was due to appear at an immigration court in Boston on Thursday, Migrant Justice said.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Election 2018 / LGBT / Media 'Samantha Bee' Segment Loves Up Hallquist — and Vermont
Posted
By Taylor Dobbs
on Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 1:06 PM
Christine Hallquist is the face of the “rainbow wave,” according to a Wednesday night segment on the TBS show "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee."
The show profiled Vermont's Democratic gubernatorial candidate as one of hundreds of LGBT candidates running for office around the nation. But the comedy segment was as much about Vermont’s politics as it was about Hallquist. The six-minute dispatch shows correspondent Ashley Nicole Black searching for a classic good-versus-evil social justice narrative. But the Vermonters she speaks with focus on broadband access and socioeconomic diversity — not the candidates’ gender politics.
“I’m here to make, like, a beautiful Oscar-winning film about a woman who’s just become, like, a champion for the people,” Black tells Hallquist in a sit-down interview at the beginning of the segment.
“Okay, that’s ... Yeah, sure,” Hallquist responds.
The show profiled Vermont's Democratic gubernatorial candidate as one of hundreds of LGBT candidates running for office around the nation. But the comedy segment was as much about Vermont’s politics as it was about Hallquist. The six-minute dispatch shows correspondent Ashley Nicole Black searching for a classic good-versus-evil social justice narrative. But the Vermonters she speaks with focus on broadband access and socioeconomic diversity — not the candidates’ gender politics.
“I’m here to make, like, a beautiful Oscar-winning film about a woman who’s just become, like, a champion for the people,” Black tells Hallquist in a sit-down interview at the beginning of the segment.
“Okay, that’s ... Yeah, sure,” Hallquist responds.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
LGBT / Election 2018 Hallquist Slams Trump Proposal to Revoke Transgender Recognition
Posted
By Alicia Freese
on Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 10:39 AM
Vermont gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist, who is transgender, had choice words for President Donald Trump after news broke that his administration is considering changing federal policy to no longer recognize transgender people.
“Wow. Sure as hell hope I win this election! The Trump administration is going to get a can of whoop-ass from me!” Hallquist tweeted in response to an October 21 New York Times story that revealed that Trump officials are discussing defining gender based on the genitals a person is born with.
The Times reported that “the new definition would essentially eradicate federal recognition of the estimated 1.4 million Americans who have opted to recognize themselves — surgically or otherwise — as a gender other than the one they were born into.”
That includes Hallquist, who is the first transgender candidate nominated by a major party to run for governor. During an interview Monday, she speculated that if the administration goes through with the change, “I may not be able to travel … My passport currently says female but [Trump] could be revoking passports. He could be telling states that our enhanced [driver’s] licenses are not valid.”
“It’s a horrible thing,” Hallquist said. “Nobody should feel comfortable when the president starts wiping out entire populations.”
“Wow. Sure as hell hope I win this election! The Trump administration is going to get a can of whoop-ass from me!” Hallquist tweeted in response to an October 21 New York Times story that revealed that Trump officials are discussing defining gender based on the genitals a person is born with.
The Times reported that “the new definition would essentially eradicate federal recognition of the estimated 1.4 million Americans who have opted to recognize themselves — surgically or otherwise — as a gender other than the one they were born into.”
That includes Hallquist, who is the first transgender candidate nominated by a major party to run for governor. During an interview Monday, she speculated that if the administration goes through with the change, “I may not be able to travel … My passport currently says female but [Trump] could be revoking passports. He could be telling states that our enhanced [driver’s] licenses are not valid.”
“It’s a horrible thing,” Hallquist said. “Nobody should feel comfortable when the president starts wiping out entire populations.”
Friday, May 11, 2018
LGBT / Statehouse Scott Signs Gender-Neutral Bathroom Bill Into Vermont Law
Posted
By Taylor Dobbs
on Fri, May 11, 2018 at 1:31 PM
Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law Friday that requires single-user public restrooms in Vermont to be designated gender neutral. The law, which takes effect July 1, is the latest approved on the state level amid a national debate about restroom access for people who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming.
Brenda Churchill, the Statehouse liaison for the LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont, said the new law is a big step forward.
“Every Vermonter will now have more opportunity to be able to use a bathroom,” Churchill said.
Brenda Churchill, the Statehouse liaison for the LGBTQIA Alliance of Vermont, said the new law is a big step forward.
“Every Vermonter will now have more opportunity to be able to use a bathroom,” Churchill said.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
LGBT / Media / News Media Note: Top Free Press Editor Sparks Outrage on Twitter
Posted
By Taylor Dobbs
on Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 7:36 PM
The top editor of the Burlington Free Press drew heavy criticism on Twitter Friday and Saturday for a post suggesting that Vermont’s proposal to offer a third gender option on government identification “makes us one step closer to the apocalypse.”
In his Friday night Tweet, Freeps executive editor Denis Finley was responding to a Vermont Public Radio story about the proposal and a comment from Rights & Democracy spokesman Shay Totten that the policy move was "awesome!"
Community members quickly excoriated Finley, who joined the Free Press in 2016. Totten, a former Seven Days political columnist, questioned whether Finley was "transphobic, bad at Twitter, or both." Vermont Democratic Party chair Terje Anderson called it "another reason not to subscribe to the Burlington Free Press."
Finley responded to several of his critics in real time.
Awesome! That makes us one step closer to the apocalypse. https://t.co/Fux34w61B8
— denisfinley (@denisjfinley) January 6, 2018
In his Friday night Tweet, Freeps executive editor Denis Finley was responding to a Vermont Public Radio story about the proposal and a comment from Rights & Democracy spokesman Shay Totten that the policy move was "awesome!"
Community members quickly excoriated Finley, who joined the Free Press in 2016. Totten, a former Seven Days political columnist, questioned whether Finley was "transphobic, bad at Twitter, or both." Vermont Democratic Party chair Terje Anderson called it "another reason not to subscribe to the Burlington Free Press."
Finley responded to several of his critics in real time.
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