April 13, 2022
STATEMENT FROM SPEAKER KROWINSKI ON THE RECENT PERSONAL AND VIOLENT ATTACKS ON MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
“Much of our legislative work has been focused on making Vermont a more welcoming place for all that come to live and visit our beautiful state, and it has been a time of optimism and collaboration in working on this shared goal with Vermonters from across the state. However, we are not immune from the ugly and painful attacks that we have seen take place across the country, and it has come to the forefront this week with the Vermont and Burlington Republican Party’s targeting certain legislators with harmful, personal attacks rather than engaging in thoughtful policy debate. It was sickening to see these anti-LGBTQ+ attacks were used as a fundraising mechanism and used terminology that has long been used as a way to frame the LGBTQ+ community as dangerous to children.
“Furthering the fear and anxiety within the LGBTQ+ community and friends and family, we have heard that last night, a transgender woman was murdered in Morristown. In this case, Fern Feather, was tragically taken from this world too soon, like so many other transgender people who are targeted in bias driven attacks. While the investigation is ongoing, we know that hate and ignorance leads to these types of attacks, and that transgender people are four times more likely to be a victim of physical violence.
“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. Now, more than ever, I encourage everyone to reach out to their family, friends, and community members in the LGBTQ+ community to offer support and reiterate that we will not stop the work to make this a safer, healthier place for all those that come across our borders.”
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