By Lisa Scagliotti | DUXBURY, Vt. – The Pride flag flying for the past three weeks on the flagpole in front of Harwood Union Middle/High School was stolen over the weekend, Harwood administrators announced on Tuesday.

In a letter to school students, staff and families, Superintendent Mike Leichliter along with Co-Principals Megan McDonough and Laurie Greenberg shared the news of the theft and promised to replace the flag which was to fly through the end of June in observance of Pride Month.

Based on reviewing security camera footage, school officials said they determined that “at 11:57 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2024, two unidentified individuals lowered the United States flag and Pride flag from the flagpole at Harwood Union High School. The individuals then immediately raised the U.S. flag again and stole the Pride flag,” school officials said in their communication.

Leichliter said the people involved were wearing clothing with hoods and they could not be identified from the footage. School leaders ask that anyone with information about the incident contact the school administration. The incident also has been reported to Vermont State Police, Leichliter said. The Vermont State Police also has an anonymous tipline where the public may submit information to assist with an investigation.

This is the third year that a Pride flag has flown at Harwood during June in observance of National Pride Month.

“June is Pride Month and dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride. Since 2022 Harwood students have shown overwhelming support in asking the HUUSD School Board to raise the Pride flag at Harwood to support our LGBTQ+ students as well as in commemoration of the larger LGBTQ+ community,” the letter from the administrators explains.

“The school is securing a replacement flag and will once again raise it through the month of June as approved by the HUUSD school board,” school leaders said.

The Harwood Unified Union School Board last month approved a request from the Harwood High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance club to fly the LGBTQIA+ community pride flag starting May 17 through the end of June.

This year’s request asked that the flag be raised in May to coincide with an event the school club was hosting on May 18, the Outright Vermont Queer & Allied Youth Summit. In reviewing the flag request, the school board also looked over data from a student survey. The district flag policy asks that requests to fly a flag other than the U.S. or Vermont state flag be accompanied by a survey to gauge support in the school community.

This year, the Pride flag request had a survey with 250 responses — 62% in favor and 38% opposed to flying the pride flag. In 2023, a similar survey received 297 responses but found 78% favored the request. School board member Life LeGeros of Duxbury, who chairs the board’s Equity Committee, at the time called the drop in support for the flag display “a very troubling trend.”

On Tuesday, the school co-principals and superintendent expressed disappointment in the hostile act. “It is disappointing to know that individuals in our community would display an openly hostile attitude and disrespect the voice of our student body. These actions are unacceptable and do not represent the values and character of our schools,” they wrote.

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Lisa Scagliotti is an experienced Vermont journalist and editor. She has worked at daily newspapers in Vermont, Alaska, New York and Pennsylvania, including the Burlington Free Press and the Anchorage Daily News. She has reported on local and state government, politics, business and aviation. She worked as managing editor at The Shelburne News and The Citizen weekly newspapers in Chittenden County prior to helping launch the University of Vermont’s Community News Service journalism internship program where Waterbury Roundabout was created in spring 2020.

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The preceding article was previously published by the Waterbury Roundabout and is republished with permission

Waterbury Roundabout is an online news site launched in May 2020. Our mission is to provide readers with news about local government, schools, businesses, community organizations, events and the people who live, work and play in and around the Waterbury region.

Thank you for reading!

By Erin Reed | SHELBURNE, Vt. – Transgender students have faced an array of threats in recent years. Several states have barred them from sports, restricted their bathroom access, banned books about them from school libraries, and even mandated forcibly outing them to their parents.

Surprisingly, some school districts in even the more progressive states have adopted similar policies. The story in Vermont is different, however. Just last week, Champlain Valley School District, the state’s largest, explicitly and comprehensively codified rights for transgender students within its jurisdiction.

The new policies passed unanimously and endeavor to go above and beyond even the state level protections that Vermont offers trans students in the state. Although the policies were previously informally practiced, codifying them explicitly allows trans students to know that their school district has their back. It also makes it harder for individual schools in the district to bow to pressure from right-wing groups to discriminate against trans students in the district.

The three page policy outlines several explicit protections for transgender students:

• A right to privacy that allows trans students to detail exactly how much information they want shared with others.
• A right to have their name and pronouns used by school staff without requiring a court order or legal name change.
• A right for students input on parental notification and no mandatory outing of students to unaccepting parents.
• A right to update records including retroactive changes.
• A right to access the bathroom of their gender identity that goes above and beyond the state’s guidelines.
• A right to participation in sports that allows students to compete in accordance with their gender identity.

Importantly, these policies use affirmative and mandatory language. For instance, they state that students “must” be allowed to use restrooms according to their gender identity. This goes above and beyond Vermont’s state level protections, which merely state that students “should not have to use a locker room or bathroom that conflicts with their gender identity.”

In recent months, students nationwide have encountered discrimination and harassment from school board officials over policies like these. Initially, only the most conservative states adopted such measures.

However, suburban districts with a conservative tilt, often influenced by candidates backed by right-wing group Moms For Liberty, have increasingly curtailed transgender rights — even in states generally viewed as supportive of transgender rights.

This trend is evident in several California districts, where policies on forced outing have led to contentious court fights. Similarly, a number of conservative school districts in New Jersey are rejecting the state’s inclusive policies.

Similarly, progressive school districts in conservative states are finding themselves at odds with their states’ policies. In Virginia, numerous school districts have openly defied Governor Glen Youngkin’s state guidelines on transgender policy.

These guidelines seek to bar trans youth from bathrooms aligning with their gender identity, mandate their forced outing to parents, and exclude them from sports. Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax school districts, among several others, have stated that they will not comply with the state policies.

The battle for transgender rights has, in many respects, been rooted in school districts. Some of Moms For Liberty’s initial endeavors were over school district policies in Florida. Similarly, in 2021, anti-trans activists mobilized in school districts nationwide, setting their sights on trans students.

Yet this year, numerous districts have taken a stand against such targeting. Champlain Valley School District stands as a recent testament to this resistance.

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Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.

Follow her on Twitter (Link)

Website here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/

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The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.

MONTPELIER – The Green Mountain State’s state Senate president pro tempore has won the Democratic nomination for the state’s at-large congressional seat, the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Becca Balin is running to succeed U.S. Rep. Peter Welch and Tuesday’s victory makes her likely to become the first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to represent the heavily Democratic state in Congress if elected in November. Vermont is the only state that has never had a female member of its congressional delegation.

The VTDigger, a statewide news website, reported; “Balint, 53, is the first openly gay woman elected to the Vermont Senate and the first woman to serve as its president. The former middle school teacher and stay-at-home mother won her first political contest in a race for her southeastern Vermont Senate seat in 2014. 

She rose quickly through the ranks of the Democrat-controlled chamber, becoming majority leader in 2017, at the start of her second term. Four years later, in 2021, she was elected pro tem — the top position in the Senate.”

Becca Balint, the president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, has won the Democratic primary for the state’s open congressional seat. She could become the first woman and the first openly gay person to represent the state in Congress. https://t.co/RaAgwmtQJD

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 10, 2022

ESSEX COUNTY, Vt. – A Canaan man was arrested by New Hampshire State Troopers after he allegedly uttered a threat against the school his daughters attends if administrators were to allow a transgender person or drag queen at school.

The threats were uttered this past Monday by resident of Canaan, Shane Gobeil, while at Solomon’s Store in neighboring Stewartstown, New Hampshire in the presence of two Canaan Schools students, ages 16 and 17, and which he later repeated it to responding Vermont State Police officers, according to court charging documents.

Media outlet VT Digger reported that the students were alarmed by the threatening conversation and told Canaan Schools principal Principal Ryan Charles Patterson who in turn notified authorities.

The Canaan Schools, which include two separate buildings — an elementary school and a high school that share a campus —  serve about 180 students. Both schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the alleged threat.

The VT Digger

The Solomon’s manager had also forwarded the store’s security footage of the interaction to Vermont Troopers investigating Gobeil’s comments.

“The school’s changing,” Gobeil said to the two students, according to a Vermont State Police affidavit. “Before you know it, there’s going to be a drag queen show and, you know what, I’m probably going to show up and kill somebody. A lot of bodies.” He then added; “You understand?” he said. “If you guys ever do that to Canaan and my daughter’s in that school, be ready for God’s wrath.”

The VT Digger also reported that according to to the court documents, both students subsequently stated that they were alarmed by Gobeil’s statement. One of the students said that they were afraid to go to school the next day.

When Vermont State Police made contact with Gobeil, he allegedly reiterated, “if they’re going to ever have a transgender and drag queens … and bring it right here in my daughter’s face, I am going to have a big problem with that. … If anybody comes near my daughter with a fucking dick and fucking panty hose, I’ll kill ‘em.”

Vermont State Police troopers said in their report that they advised Gobeil “multiple times” that his statements were concerning to the students, teachers and parents of children who attend the school.

“Gobeil advised that he did not care, and he would say whatever he wants as it was his own right to do so,” the affidavit states.

Following the threat, Canaan Schools shut down their high school and elementary school Tuesday and Wednesday, which would have been the final two days of the school year.

Because the threat had been initially made in New Hampshire, Gobeil was arrested and charged in that jurisdiction with the Vermont State Police interview as a portion of the court evidence and record.

The VT Digger reported that according to the New Hampshire State Police arrest warrant, the school had previously served Gobeil two separate Notice Against Trespass forms.

In December 2021, Gobeil allegedly showed up at the school and yelled at the administrative assistant for wearing a mask as part of the coronavirus pandemic safety protocols.

Following that incident and a warning, Gobeil allegedly confronted a mother and two students for wearing masks on two separate occasions. He was subsequently served a Notice Against Trespass form.

On June 7, 2022, he was served another Notice Against Trespass form by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. According to court documents, Superintendent Conroy said the order stemmed from Gobeil upsetting students, parents and staff over wearing face masks.

Court records show that Gobeil will appear before a judge in the 1st Circuit District Court in Colebrook, New Hampshire on August 11. He has been charged with charged with harassment, a misdemeanor that carries a possible jail sentence of less than one year and a fine of $2,000 or less. 

He was released on bond and as a part of the conditions of his release he is barred from contacting or being present near Principal Patterson the two students from Solomon’s Store. He is also prohibited from possessing firearms or other dangerous weapons.

MONTPELIER – The stabbing death of a 29-year-old beloved member of Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community this week drew outrage and grief from across the state including from Republican Governor Phil Scott, who condemned the “disturbing hostility towards the transgender community” across the nation.

“Exploiting fear and targeting divisive rhetoric at people who are just trying to be who they are is hateful and can lead to violence,” Scott said in a statement released on Twitter Wednesday evening. “To Vermonters in the LGBTQA+ community, I want you to know we stand with you and support you but know we have more work to do.”

Exploiting fear and targeting divisive rhetoric at people who are just trying to be who they are is hateful and can lead to violence. I ask Vermonters to do their part to ensure everyone feels safe in our state and to engage in these conversations from a place of empathy. 2/

— Governor Phil Scott (@GovPhilScott) April 13, 2022

To Vermonters in the LGBTQA+ community, I want you to know we stand with you and support you but know we have more work to do. 4/4

— Governor Phil Scott (@GovPhilScott) April 13, 2022

Vermont State Police homicide detectives have charged Seth Brunell, 43, in the murder of Fern Feather, a trans woman from Hinesburg, the VTDigger reported.

Brunell told police that he had been defending himself after Feather “made a sexual advance and attacked him,” according to a Vermont State Police press release.

“Investigators observed no injuries or evidence of a struggle or an assault on Brunell,” Vermont State Police investigators said.

Governor Scott signed legislation last year that bans use of the ‘gay panic defense” by criminal defendants. H.128, prevents a defendant at trial or sentencing from justifying violent actions by citing a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. 

That law specifically pertains to “circumstances in which the victim made a nonforcible, noncriminal romantic or sexual advance toward the defendant.”

House Speaker Rep. Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, told the VTDigger that Feather was “tragically taken from this world too soon, like so many other transgender people who are targeted in bias driven attacks.”

“We absolutely need to continue to take steps to make Vermont a more equitable place and be clear that hate has no place in our state,” Krowinski said in a statement to the media outlet on Wednesday afternoon.

At a debate hosted by VTDigger Wednesday evening, two candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives — state Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden, and state Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham — condemned the killing.

“We have lost a trans woman in Vermont, and I am holding our trans community in my heart,” Ram Hinsdale said.

“As we look across the nation, LGBTQ kids and adults are under siege and it touches me personally,” said Balint, who is gay.

The Pride Center of Vermont announced that it will hold a vigil for Feather this Saturday afternoon. Tributes also poured in across social media this past week as Feather’s friends remembered her.

MONTPELIER – The Green Mountain State’s state Senate president pro tempore announced Monday morning that she is running to succeed U.S. Rep. Peter Welch for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Becca Balin, (D) will be running in the Democratic party primary campaign race against the state’s Lt. Governor Molly Gray, (D) to replace Welch who is also a Democrat who is vacating his House seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Welch is running to replace retiring U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, (D-Vt.) No Republicans have entered the race.

The VTDigger, a statewide news website, reported; “Balint, 53, is the first openly gay woman elected to the Vermont Senate and the first woman to serve as its president. The former middle school teacher and stay-at-home mother won her first political contest in a race for her southeastern Vermont Senate seat in 2014. 

She rose quickly through the ranks of the Democrat-controlled chamber, becoming majority leader in 2017, at the start of her second term. Four years later, in 2021, she was elected pro tem — the top position in the Senate.”

The president pro tempore of the state Senate faces Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in the Democratic primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, who is running for the U.S. Senate.https://t.co/HYDESpbgUu

— VTDigger (@vtdigger) December 13, 2021

Vermont has never elected a woman to federal office the VTDigger noted.

Campaign Video: Change Is Possible: Becca Balint for U.S. Congress

BURLINGTON, Vt. – A quintessential annual Fall time-honored tradition held across America’s on high school football fields are homecoming games. This year a mix of students and faculty members Burlington High School, along with some participants from South Burlington High School, added a touch of ‘drag’ to the halftime show.

“Things went amazing,” Ezra Totten, student leader of the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Burlington High School, told the Associated Press, speaking about Friday night’s event. “The stands were completely packed. It was just so heartwarming to see.”

The school’s principal, its Athletic Director, and other staff were fully supportive with Andrew LeValley, an English teacher and GSA adviser, the faculty member who created the idea along with a boost from Burlington High Athletic Director Quaron Pinckney suggested that the show be held at the homecoming game’s halftime.

Pinckney, who is Black, told the AP that the school gave him the space to “uplift my voice” and that he was able to reciprocate and “uplift the voices of another marginalized group and share a space in the athletics realm that doesn’t normally get shared.”

The crowd was decked out in LGBTQ+ affirming clothing, costumes and waving Pride flags raucously cheering as the ‘drag ball’s’ performers paraded and danced to show support for LGBTQ+ students and the larger LGBTQ+ community. They commenced the halftime show with a runway-style event while they lip-synced to singer Todrick Hall’s “Rainbow Reign.”

Burlington High School’s halftime drag show