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MONTPELIER, VT -- On February 16, 1999, representatives from gay and lesbian organizations, individual citizens, and allies from all over Vermont converged on the State House for Visibility Day.
Congregating in front of an information table and display of portraits of gay and lesbian families, members of the LGBT community were informally welcomed by the Speaker of the House Michael J. Obuchowski and House Majority Leader John Tracy. The legislators spent better than a quarter of an hour addressing the questions and concerns of those present.
Answering a student's question about discrimination in schools, Speaker Obuchowski reaffirmed a commitment to equality when he stated, "Discrimination is an everyday issue, and we cannot tolerate discrimination on any level."
From the floor of the house chamber, Representative Bill Lippert of Hinesburg officially recognized the presence of individuals from the Vermont Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Rights, Outright Vermont, Vermont Freedom to Marry Coalition, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Spectrum Youth Services, the Rainbow Business Association, Golden Threads, and the Champlain Valley Union Gay/Straight Alliance, and Out In The Mountains.
LGBT citizens got a quick lesson in civics from Keith Goslant, co-liaison of Vermont's Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Encouraging everyone to meet representatives, Goslant reminded the group that an anti-same-gender marriage bill could soon be in Vermont's legislature. Lippert, who currently sits on the judiciary committee, stated his commitment to make sure that the "anti-marriage bill stays where it belongs -- in the filing cabinet and not on the floor of the house."
High school students representing gay/straight alliances from Champlain Valley Union High School and St. Johnsbury Academy located their representatives and expressed concerns around safety, discrimination in access to school facilities and other issues affecting their lives. They asked that any anti-discrimination legislation be written in a manner that affect both public schools and private schools that accept state funding.
An annual project of the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights, Visibility Day allowed community members to learn about the legislative process, legislators to hear the policy concerns of LGBT citizens, and both groups to form and strengthen links through discussion.
