by Paul Olsen

     Organizations representing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Vermonters came to the state’s capitol on January 31 to meet with Governor James Douglas and Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie as part of Visibility Day at the Vermont Statehouse.
      Sponsored by Equality Vermont, a statewide advocacy group, Visibility Day is designed to give members of the state’s glbt community an opportunity to meet their elected representatives and discuss issues of concern in the current legislative session.
      “It is important for the organizations within the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community to be here to help educate legislators about what the organizations do and to put a face to the organizations,” Virginia Renfrew, a representative of Equality Vermont, told Out in the Mountains. “It provides legislators with an opportunity to see who we are and learn about our organizations.”
      Groups participating in Visibility Day included Outright Vermont, a gay youth support group; Mountain Pride Media, publishers of Vermont’s gay monthly newspaper; SafeSpace, a domestic violence prevention group; G-Learn, an organization for teachers and students; the Rainbow Library, promoting glbtq diversity in books for young children; Pride Vermont, the organizing group for the annual Pride Festival; and R.U.1.2?, a Burlington-based community center.
      In a brief meeting with Governor Douglas (R) and Lt. Governor Dubie (R) in the Governor’s ceremonial office, Outright Vermont’s Executive Director, B.J. Rogers, was given the floor to discuss the importance of safe schools for gay and lesbian youth. “We all have concerns that students have access to safe and non-hostile environments,” he said. “If a student doesn’t feel safe in school it is particularly hard for them to get an education. The condition in Vermont schools depends on where you are.”
      Three other members of the delegation spoke about their own alienating experiences as gay or lesbian youth in Vermont schools within the past 10 to 15 years.
      Douglas told Visibility Day participants that he is committed to schools free from harassment. “What I am really concerned about that you have mentioned today is safety in the schools,” he said. “It is very important that every young person get the opportunity to succeed. The whole thrust of the new federal law is ‘no child shall be left behind.’ I want to be sure that every young Vermonter has the opportunity to learn in safety and maximize his or her potential.”
      Douglas went so far as to suggest that Rogers’ description of the type of student who was likely to be harassed because of a perception that he might be gay would have described him in high school. However, the governor prefaced his remarks with a tight-budget caveat, indicating that he is unwilling to spend money on any potential solutions to school safety for lgbtq youth.
      In an effort to learn more, Douglas also agreed to a future meeting with gay and lesbian youth.
      Christopher Kaufman, Executive Director of R.U.1.2?, was pleased with the meeting with Governor Douglas. “I felt like the meeting was very successful at presenting the issue of safe schools,” he said. Gov. Douglas “seemed very receptive and seemed to understand how difficult it is to be a youth in Vermont schools. He seemed to get it. Whether he will do anything is what we need to stay on top of.”
      In an interview following the meeting with Visibility Day participants, Lt. Governor Brian Dubie told OITM that he did not expect the issues of civil unions to be raised during the current legislative session. “It is not something I have heard from constituents and it is not something I have heard from people in the Statehouse,” he said. “The laser beam of the legislative agenda is jobs. I haven’t had any discussion on that issue.”
      Equality Vermont, formerly known as the Vermont Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights, began the Visibility Day tradition in 1995. The group’s mission is “to promote civil rights, personal empowerment and social acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Vermonters.”