You Be You

Vermont takes pride in being a leader of positive change as the first state to legislatively legalize gay marriage. In 2020, Vermonter Taylor Small became the first openly transgender person to serve in the Vermont Legislature, and in 2022, Vermont Congresswoman Becca Balint became the first woman and the first openly gay person to represent Vermont in the U.S. Congress.  

In 2019, Vermont established a cabinet-level position focused on racial equity—the first such position in the state. In 2021, the Vermont Legislature acknowledged racism as a public health emergency as part of a recommendation from the Racial Equity Task Force due to its impact on public health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force has made other recommendations to the Scott Administration in the areas of housing, language access, public health, emergency response, broadband, employment law, and school discipline.  The Task Force is also encouraging the legislature to make changes to the way hate crime reporting is mandated across agencies and provide more future funding to the Vermont Human Rights Commission.  

There is still work to be done and new data and performance indicators are highlighting the work that must continue. Over the last 10 years, 99.7% of the population growth in Chittenden County has been Hispanic (of any race), Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Native Hawaiian. 

Vermonters’ understanding of what it means to be a truly diverse and inclusive place is always expanding. Making Vermont a safe place for every resident—from the standpoint of public safety, representation, access to services, a clean environment, personal expression, and more—is our highest priority.