Earlier today, 12-year-old Evann Orleck-Jetter appeared on the nationally syndicated radio show Democracy Now! Orleck-Jetter lives in Thetford Center with her lesbian parents, Dartmouth history professor Annelise Orleck and journalist Alexis Jetter. She testified last month in support of gay marriage at the Vermont Statehouse.
(Orleck-Jetter’s parents collaborated on a 1997 essay and interview collection called The Politics of Motherhood: Activist Voices from Left to Right. According to Annelise Orleck’s online bio, the book features women who were “moved by their motherhood to engage in a wide range of politicalactivities from environmental justice work to peace activism tomembership in the Ku Klux Klan.”)
In today’s Democracy Now! broadcast, Evann Orleck-Jetter told host Amy Goodman that she has always felt ostracized from her peers because her parents weren’t officially married. Now that Vermont has legalized gay marriage, Orleck-Jetter added, she expects to feel more comfortable interacting with classmates and teachers.
“That really helped change things,” she reflected of her experience at the Statehouse. “I felt honored that I could help change history.”
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Assuming this was also part of Amy Goodman’s TV show, you can watch a repeat tonight (Thursday, April 9) on RETN Channel 16 at 7 p.m. (barring any technical difficulties downloading the show this morning). FYI: RETN shows Democracy NOW! each weekday at 8 a.m. with a repeat airing at 7 p.m. Congratulations to those who worked tirelessly for so many years to achieve this decision.Doug
Sorry, I just noticed the blog entry was from yesterday, April 8. Oh well, you can still watch Democracy NOW! tonight :-)Doug