More than a year ago, the Unity Project asked members of the lgbt community in Vermont to answer a questionnaire on what the community needed most. The results have been compiled since last October, but had not been released before now, said Samara Foundation Executive Director Bill Lippert, because they were not yet in an easily presentable form.
     Samara Foundation partnered with the Vermont Community Foundation to raise funds for the Unity Project to grant to the community. The needs assessment "informed" the priorities of the grant committee in deciding what kinds of projects would be welcomed for possible grants from the project.
     The most interesting assessment survey results came from the community issues respondents ranked as most important: civil rights (89%), protection against violence and HIV/AIDS education and prevention (77% each), access to lgbtq-friendly physical and mental health care (76% each), support for lgbtq youth in school (75%), and community education to decrease homophobia (75%).
     At the same time, some of those items were ranked among issues that were not being adequately addressed, topmost among them community education to decrease homophobia. Responses from outside Chittenden County said that reducing isolation was not being adequately addressed, while Chittenden County respondents tended to identify greater community cohesiveness as an inadequately addressed issue. Support for lgbt elderly (66%), teachers (67%), and youth (65%) was high on the list of issues needing more attention, followed by support for kids in lgbt families, affordable housing, and HIV/AIDS medical services (60% each).
     "We intend to make these data available to community organizations and interested researchers as soon as possible," said Samara’s Bill Lippert. "We just have to figure out a structure." The preliminary report was prepared by Jelica Todoseijevic, a doctoral student at the University of Vermont, and UVM faculty member Dr. Sondra Solomon.
     Some people wrote additional comments: "“I am a teenager in Orleans County, and from what I know of there is not much for GLBTC [sic] youth. It only makes it more difficult for myself and others.
     "Gay day is not enough! We need more social gatherings open to all. One nice gay restaurant would be great. Gay day at Expos? Gay day at Shelburne Farms? Gay day at Mad River Glen? We need to bring our people together more than once a year."
     "I can't emphasize enough how important it is to help GLBT adults get together for dating and SEX. We also need equipment and access to sexual services."
     "I have experienced discrimination and harassment because of age from both lesbian/gay communities and individuals."
     "I think this survey is a great idea. Will the results be published anywhere?"
     The results reflect the responses of 220 respondents, more than three-fourths of whom got their surveys as inserts in the September 2002 issue of Out in the Mountains. The demographic information reveals few surprises, with average age at 46 (ranging from 17 to 78 at the time of the survey) and almost two-thirds of the respondents identifying as women (36% were men, three percent "other"). Self-identified lesbians made up 47%, while 35% of the respondents identified as gay and 8.6% as queer.
      The respondents were overwhelmingly "European-American" (87%), while 3 percent identified as African American (.5%), Asian American (.5%), Native American (.9%), or Hispanic (1.4%), and 6.8 percent as "Other."
     More than half (55%) reported practicing a religion. Unitarians led the pack with 31 percent, followed by other Christians (24%), Jews (9%), Catholics (8%), other (7%), Quakers (5%), Wiccans (4%), Protestants (3%).
      Average household income was $51,000 to $62,000, and not surprisingly, older respondents and those in committed relationships showed higher household incomes. More than half of the respondents (56%) were in committed relationships. Those with more education and higher incomes were more likely to be "always out" to their families of origin, according to the report. Likewise, people with higher incomes were more likely to be "always out" at work.
     Chittenden County residents sent in 34 percent of the responses, followed by Washington County (11%), Windsor (8%), and Addison and Windham counties (7% each).
     The respondents to the survey were committed voters: about 90 percent said they were registered and had voted in the (civil union backlash) election of 2000.
     More than half (54%) said they had experienced discrimination because of gender identity or sexual orientation; five percent had experienced racial or ethnic discrimination.