Reflections of Becoming Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission

by Robert Appel

Robert Appel

      I am delighted to be the new director of the Human Rights Commission. This appointment enables me to continue to work on the issues that have motivated me to become a legal worker, and serve the people of Vermont. The essence of those issues is simple – equal justice and equal opportunity for all persons. Being at the Commission gives me the chance to pursue the advancement of human rights and dignity through enforcement and educational efforts.
      I very strongly identify with the mission of the Commission which is: 1) to promote full civil and human rights for all people in Vermont through enforcing laws that protect people from discrimination in housing, state government employment, and in places of public accommodation such as restaurants, stores, and schools; 2) to conduct educational workshops on civil and human rights issues for diverse audiences; and, 3) to provide the public with information and referrals as appropriate on human and civil rights issues.
      I have been privileged during my career to advocate for human rights through civil rights enforcement and by protecting individual rights by ensuring through a criminal defense practice that the protections of individual liberty embodied in the Bill of Rights are honored. Returning to the field of civil and human rights advocacy allows me to continue to address these critical issues from a different perspective.
      My belief is that, in large measure, most Vermonters harbor no desire to discriminate. Failures to treat people respectfully often stem not so much out of malice as insensitivity. The primary challenge facing the Human Rights Commission is to provide the leadership necessary to increase communities’ awareness of diverse population, while helping to prevent discriminatory and emotionally destructive incidents that on occasion may become violent acts. My personal challenge on assuming the directorship is to provide both the internal management expertise and to pursue the external outreach to raise the profile of the Commission as an effective enforcement agency.
      The areas of most acute concern presently facing the Commission include:
      The continuing backlash against the passage of Vermont’s civil union legislation that has engendered some heated, rude and destructive rhetoric. Anti-gay and anti-lesbian bias both in the workplace and particularly in schools needs to be addressed by the Commission. As a member of the Legislature’s Civil Union Review Commission, I am advocating that the landmark legislation be in effect without revision for a substantial period of time prior to any efforts at improvement.
      Vermont schools are all too often the sites of harassment based on race, gender, sexual orientation and mental and physical disabilities. In fact, over the past seven years, school harassment complaints constitute nearly one-third of all public accommodation complaints filed with the Commission. I am committed to forming partnerships with the state Department of Education, as well as district and school administrators, to act in concert to proactively address these hostile and destructive learning environments which deprive some of our children of full and equal educational opportunity.
      Making Vermont a more welcoming and sustaining environment for people of color, who frequently report being the subject of various forms of “profiling” by retailers, law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary and corrections.
      Assuring that new immigrants to Vermont from all parts of the globe are successfully and fully integrated into our communities.
      Effectively policing the very tight housing market to ensure compliance with fair housing laws perhaps to include the use of paired “testers” to ferret out different treatment of applicants for rentals or sales because of race, disability, sexual orientation, presence of minor children, receipt of public assistance or national origin.
      Although the list of challenges is substantial, there are plenty of allies, people of good will, who are committed to seeing these efforts succeed. I look forward to collaborating on these efforts to make Vermont a better and healthier community for all who live in or visit Vermont.