Pride Vermont Turns Twenty-Five

By Merry Gangemi

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Vermont Pride, and according to Pride chair Chelsea Sullivan-Titus, the festivities will highlight the vibrancy, creativity, and diversity of Vermont's LGBTQ communities.

Without a doubt, the many gains and achievements of the Green Mountain State's earliest lesbian and gay activists paved the way for Vermonters to celebrate what is an unprecedented level of visibility and autonomy for the state's Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgendered, and Queer/Questioning communities.

The very existence of organizations such as Outright VT, RU12, Samara Foundation, Vermont CARES, and Vermont Gay Straight Alliance (VGSA) reflects a mature infrastructure that is crucial for Vermont's LGBTQ community. And the culture these organizations have supported, with all its quirkiness and panache, embodies a growing sense of purpose and self-empowerment. Vermont's Queer Culture depends on effective and insightful brinkmanship because it is tied directly to a rich diversity and the intellectual vigor of our collective body politic.

Offering his thoughts on this important milestone, Congressman Peter Welch in a written statement told Vermont Woman, "In Vermont we have made great strides toward achieving greater equality for all of our citizens and the good work in our small state has clearly charted the way for the nation."

Notice that Congressman Welch did not write: We have achieved equality.

To presume that the LGBTQ community is equal to heterosexual Vermonters is an unrealized dream. The recent vandalism at RU12 offices, and the orchestrated attack on OutrightVT by Paul Beaudry, the conservative talk radio host of True North on WDEV (Waterbury), signal continued local opposition. And attacks against homosexuals by Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Kenneth Blackwell, and of course, Jerry Falwell (who unceremoniously dropped dead last month in his Liberty University office), stand firmly behind fundamentalism's profound contempt for anyone who is different in any way.

Since taking office in 2000, the Bush administration has funneled billions of dollars in taxpayer money to faith-based initiatives. This stealthy tidal wave that continues to grow: 8.1 percent of the competitive social-service grant budget in 2003, 10.3 percent in 2004, and 11 percent in 2005. As the mission of faith-based initiatives centers on "salvation" and because the right-wing conservative organizations and churches condemn homosexuality, the chances of a LGBTQ individual being subjected to "conversion" or "redemption" are slim. These organizations can circumvent any federal anti-discrimination laws.

Suzanne Stofflet, executive director of The Samara Foundation, offers this perspective: "When I think back to the closet I was in 25 years ago, the progress we've made is incredible. In some ways, the people in the closet now are the bullies and homophobes. That's a role reversal I can live with! Lately, they've been sneaking out and taking cheap shots at some of us: A Fox television network show's treatment of Rep. Bill Lippert, the vandalism at RU12, and the difficulties faced by Outright in some school systems, as examples. Our job is to make sure that each of their actions, no matter how foul, has exactly the opposite effect intended. When they realize that their actions are actually strengthening our community and allies, maybe they will stop. Better still, perhaps they will have a change of heart. Looking ahead 25 years, I'm hoping for a Vermont (and country) that has moved beyond acceptance of the LGBTQ community and into a genuine appreciation of us and how our unique qualities are an irreplaceable asset to our society."

We are in the midst of one of Vermont's richest eras of social, cultural, and political sophistication. And yet, it is still a fact that to come out, in the purest sense, is to expose oneself to an unbelievably complex world that holds both the joy and excitement of freely acknowledging who one is, and the polarity, animosity, and violence inflicted on LGBTQs every day. It is an act of courage to acknowledge oneself as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or differently gendered. And this year's Pride is a celebratory retrospective, a look at our triumphs and a look ahead to what's coming.

Chelsea Sullivan-Titus admits that it is difficult not to engage with homophobes and to ignore their bad behavior and attacks. But she also asserts that Pride is a celebration "because they can't stop us from dancing." She also points out that in spite of monetary support from quiet allies, the LGBTQ community needs more people to speak out. And so all of LGBTQ Vermont invites the rest of the state to come and share this amazing and deeply satisfying celebration: 25 years of Pride in Vermont.

For more information visit www.pridevt.com.

Merry Gangemi is host of "Woman-Stirred Radio, a weekly LGBTQ cultural journal that airs every Thursday on 91.1 FM WGDR. Her blog is merrygangemi.org.