Weeks after homophobic threats and acts of vandalism rattled two Vermont communities, 117 state and federal lawmakers wrote in a joint statement that they “are profoundly concerned about the recent surge in hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ+ community” nationwide and right at home.
Last month, in northern Vermont, a suspect stole a local Isle La Motte farm’s pride flag, vandalized its greenhouses, and left behind a letter strewn with expletives and homophobic language. Just days later, on the opposite side of the state, a White River Junction drag story hour was interrupted by an emailed bomb threat, forcing attendees — including children — to evacuate.
“These incidents are not isolated,” the 117 lawmakers wrote in Monday’s statement. “They reflect a disturbing pattern of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ hate across the nation. This campaign of hate aims to stifle the voices of the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters.”
The statement’s signatories ran the political gamut, including every statewide officeholder in Vermont and every member of Vermont’s congressional delegation. State lawmakers are represented by Democratic, Republican and Progressive state legislative leaders, and 104 more tripartisan legislators. Altogether, the include list includes 84 members of the Vermont House and 24 senators.
Many of the lawmakers identify as LGBTQ+ themselves, but others do not — a show of solidarity, according to state Treasurer Mike Pieciak, that demonstrates “an overwhelming sense of force that this isn’t a niche issue. This is front and center.”
According to the FBI’s most recent annual crime report issued in October, anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes spiked by 19% nationwide in 2022, compared with 2021 statistics. That nationwide trend, coupled with Vermont’s two recent, high-profile incidents, could send the message that Vermont is not immune from homophobia, Pieciak told VTDigger on Monday.
“It has the potential to send that message, which is why I think it’s so important for us to show support in a unified front because we’re not immune from hateful acts in Vermont,” said Pieciak, who is gay. “Nowhere is really a special enclave in that sense. Everywhere can be impacted. So that means, from my perspective, that we can’t take it for granted, and we have to continue to express ourselves and win over the hearts and minds of fellow Vermonters.”
In their statement, the lawmakers on Monday said: “The LGBTQ+ community has made so much progress.”
“We refuse to backslide and succumb to hatred or fear,” they concluded. “Instead, we will intensify our efforts to ensure that our communities remain safe and welcoming for all Vermonters.”
This story has been edited to clarify that the leaders of all three of Vermont’s major political parties were signatories of the statement.
