Burlington Council Denounces Transphobia Amid 'Stickering' Campaign

Students at a rally last year Credit: File: Cat Cutillo

Burlington city councilors passed a pair of resolutions on Monday that recognize and advocate for people on the margins.

The first resolution condemns anti-transgender rhetoric and says Burlington will find ways to “amplify the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community.” The second measure calls on lawmakers to support opening an overdose prevention site in the city. Both resolutions passed unanimously.

“The council will send a clear message that transphobia has no place in our community,” Councilor Joe Magee (P-Ward 3), the lead sponsor of both resolutions, said before the vote. “We have failed to address this hate in the past, and while we can’t undo the harm caused, we can commit to doing better going forward.”

The resolution denouncing transphobia is in response to a growing number of attacks against LGBTQ people around the country. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this session. One recent headline-grabbing example: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently signed a bill that bans public drag performances. Similar measures have been introduced in more than a dozen other states.

Vermont, and Burlington in particular, isn’t immune to anti-trans rhetoric. Last spring, a 29-year-old transgender woman was stabbed to death in Morristown, and conservative media personalties targeted Burlington High School for hosting a workshop on gender identity. The city has also seen “aggressive stickering” of street signs with anti-trans messages, the resolution says.

Emily Copeland, who spoke during the meeting’s public forum, said she and her children frequently remove stickers they find in the Arms Forest in the New North End. She said she came to the meeting to speak on behalf of trans people who may have been too afraid to attend.

“I’m here also trying to model to my two kiddos, who are here tonight, that this is what you do for people that you love,” she said. “You come and you stand up against things that are not right.”

Another speaker, Kevin Hurley, introduced himself as a coordinator of the stickering campaign and said he has no intention to stop.

“This resolution paints myself and my colleagues in Burlington as a hate group,” he said.

“Because you are!” someone in the crowd interjected.

“We will speak the truth, publicly and loudly,” Hurley pressed on. “We will continue to use public spaces to exercise our First Amendment rights.”

But speakers who were in favor of the resolution far outnumbered those against it. Some members of the large crowd donned rainbow clothing; others affixed transgender and nonbinary pride flags to the balcony in Contois Auditorium.

Outgoing Councilor Perri Freeman (P-Central District), who uses they/them pronouns, described themselves as a trans person who hasn’t medically transitioned. Through tears, Freeman thanked fellow councilors for affirming their identity by passing the resolution.

“I want to continue to be able to make choices about my body and about my life and to continue to experience what it looks like to feel seen,” Freeman said. “Thank you for the work we’re doing as a community on this.”

The council resolution calls for the city to observe Transgender Day of Visibility, an international annual event held on March 31 that celebrates transgender people and raises awareness about anti-trans discrimination. Councilors suggested other ways to recognize trans residents, such as by hosting “days of action,” flying pride flags on city property and organizing a speaker series.

The measure also asks a council subcommittee to study the city’s graffiti ordinance and “consider changes that address continued defacement of public property, and graffiti that spreads hateful and harmful messages.”

Councilor Magee’s other resolution recognizes the staff who worked at a low-barrier warming shelter in February when wind chills dropped temps to negative 40 degrees. The shelter, at the Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center in the New North End, housed nearly 60 people over four days. Two people accidentally overdosed, and staff revived them with the opioid reversal drug naloxone.

Councilors said the situation demonstrates the need for an overdose prevention site in Burlington. Two centers currently open in New York City have served more than 2,300 people and intervened in 700 overdoses, the resolution says.

Previous discussions about opening such a facility in Vermont have gone nowhere. Former U.S. attorney Christina Nolan, an appointee of former president Donald Trump, said she would prosecute any organization that opened an overdose prevention facility. And just last year, Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would have simply studied the sites. Vermont has a new U.S. attorney, Nikolas Kerest, but his position on the issue is unclear.

Meantime, more Vermonters are dying of opioid-related overdoses. Officials attribute the spike to fentanyl — a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin — and the animal tranquilizer xylazine, both of which have become more prevalent in street drugs.

Magee described how his late father, who suffered from alcoholism, began abusing opioids that were prescribed for a workplace injury.

“I often dream about what my dad’s life would have looked like if our society was free from stigma around mental health and drug use,” Magee said. “I dream about a world where we don’t lose another person because they’re driven into the shadows by an unforgiving system that criminalizes pain and despair.”

Later on Monday, councilors approved a resolution calling on state lawmakers to adopt legislation that supports early childhood educators, including with higher wages and better benefits.

The issue is a top priority in the legislature, where lawmakers are ironing out details of a bill that would better fund the system and make it more affordable for families. Seven Days wrote a cover story about the childcare crisis in January, after an independent report found that early childhood educators typically earn 30 percent less than some kindergarten teachers despite having similar education requirements and job responsibilities.

The resolution endorses legislation that would ensure families don’t pay more than 10 percent of their income on childcare and would consolidate oversight of early education programs into a single state agency.

Also on Monday, councilors unanimously approved Michael LaChance as Burlington’s next fire chief; Mayor Miro Weinberger appointed him last week, pending council approval. LaChance is a 23-year veteran of the department who was previously a deputy chief.

“I always wanted to be a Burlington firefighter,” LaChance said, explaining that his parents grew up in the Queen City. “My career has been a blessing, and I really appreciate the opportunity to lead this department.”