Editorial
Editorial
Act Now
The
sun is shining a little more brightly in Montpelier these days for the
LGBT community. The Gender Identity bill has been resurrected with the
hope that this year it will become law, and the Freedom to Marry Task
Force has decided this is the right time to put marriage equality on the
table. Both proposals will help push LGBT equality forward, and we are
fortunate to have many allies – both elected and in our communities.
So this is the time to act,
rather than sit back and think our work is done. Living in the Green Mountain
state, we experience kinder treatment, on the whole, than our sisters
and brothers living elsewhere in this country and around the world. But
in this time of repressive politics, even here in Vermont we face some
efforts to push us backwards. In Burlington, police, merchants and City
Hall recently had to back down from a measure that would have put certain
sections of downtown off-limits to political demonstrations. The huge
public outcry forced the city to step back. However, the merchants have
already succeeded in creating a system full of restrictions for activists
setting up tables on Church Street. Currently, sharing information
there already requires getting permission to set up a table in a specific
spot during limited hours to converse with the public, get petitions signed,
and so forth. And get this - people planning to table on Church Street
must also show an ID for the privilege. That's some free speech.
In Burlington's Old North End,
the school administration's efforts to close two neighborhood schools
have been stymied for the second time. The elementary schools serve families
who are middle and low-income, immigrants, people of color, social activists,
and LGBT citizens. The strength of these communities became evident when
people petitioned for their schools to remain open – and won. These
schools are an integral part of the O.N.E. neighborhood, providing meaningful
programs and assistance to pupils and families alike. They are a kind
of glue binding the community together. Will school officials try a third
time to close them down?
At the Congressional level, Vermonters
are represented by three of the most progressive politicians on Capitol
Hill. Sen. Patrick Leahy, often hailed by the liberal crowd, was nonetheless
one of the principal authors of the infamous Patriot Act. Since its passage
in 2001, civil rights advocates have spoken out, warning us about the
far-reaching law that threatens many rights we have long taken for granted.
Now that portions of the law are up for renewal, Leahy says it should
be changed to protect our rights. But it may be too little and too late.
While these laws may not be written specifically against certain classes
of people, we would do well to be vigilant. The fact that the Bush white
house, with its right-wing "Christian" agenda, is so willing
to use us as a political wedge to drive people apart ought to be enough
to get us all busy working to stop them in their tracks.
Still, alongside the defeats there
are the measures moving us forward. At press time, the Vermont legislature
is also considering a bill (H.615) that will affect just how open our
state government will be. It appears that again, Vermonters will benefit
from the vision of our state legislators and we will continue to have
access to important records being deliberated by state agencies. The problem
is that there was ever a question about those records being open to the
public.
So, there is much that we can do.
Supporting progressive legislation such as the Gender Identity and Marriage
Equity bills always moves us forward, and elected officials need to hear
from us about what we support and don't support. We can help elect fair
leaders at all levels of government. We can attend town meeting on March
7 and vote for who we feel best represents our interests. We can run for
office ourselves, at all levels of government, and we can run for our
local school board. The more our voices are heard, the more people get
to know who we are, that we are really just people, just like them. Sometimes
we are better, because we have to be. Sometimes we fail, just like everyone
else. We are all the same, all members of the human family, and we deserve
to be treated as if we are.
March often arrives with surprises
such as blustery snowstorms and unexpected warm spells. The month that
announces Spring also brings us National LGBT Health Week. It's a good
time to be reminded that our community is faced with plenty of health
challenges, even moreso than the general population. Fortunately we have
resources available to us in our quest for a healthier lifestyle. Check
out our Health Beat page for events in Burlington, and links to events
elsewhere.
Lynn McNicol, Editor