Out In The Mountains : News - Youth Declares Pride

by Julia F. Kimball

      Burlington Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle of Burlington stood on the front steps of City Hall on May 8 and declared the date Youth Pride Day in the city. For the 100-plus youth who turned out from 12 of Vermont's 14 counties (according to Outright Vermont's unofficial poll), Clavelle's presence as an ally was bolstering - but he wasn't telling them anything they didn't already know. Youth members of Outright, and their adult mentors, had worked for eight weeks to organize Youth Pride Day 2004.
      The event, according to Co-executive Director Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak, was "Youth-driven, youth-celebrated, and youth connecting with youth - making those connections they can't make when they're stuck on the other side of Vermont in a school with no [lgbtq] programming."
      And the day brought many opportunities for youth to connect - with non-stop events from noon on Saturday to 8 am on Sunday. The proceedings started with a Speak Out on the steps of City Hall, where young people talked about their gratitude for the lgbtq youth community and Outright, their hopes for the future, the importance of voting, and Pride. The Speak Out was followed by, among other things, a march through downtown Burlington, workshops, a "mini-film festival," and the ever-popular prom.
     "The prom is extra-special," Mulvaney-Stanak said, "These are young people who can-t bring their boyfriends or girlfriends to their school proms because of the threat... this is an opportunity for them to slow-dance, ask someone of the same sex to dance, and just get on down" without being hassled.
     And get on down they did. According to Mulvaney-Stanak the prom night was a success - as was Youth Pride Day 2004, which also drew support from allies and adult members of the GLBTQ community. The youth who attended made it clear that they would continue to put themselves out there for the remainder of the year, and that they'd be back for Youth Pride Day 2005. In the words of many of the youth at the Speak Out and the march (paraphrasing slightly): They're here, they're queer – and they're fabulous!
     Outright Vermont is the only youth-focused GLBT organization in Vermont, according to Mulvaney-Stanak, and serves youth ages 12 to 22. For more information visit www.outrightvt.org

Julia F. Kimball is a recent graduate and a newcomer to Vermont.