Rep. Mari Cordes, D-Lincoln, an organizer of the effort, said six Democrats (herself included) have agreed to vote to sustain a gubernatorial veto on the budget if additional funding is not added to continue the program.
Small said that anti-LGBTQ+ laws from barring trans and nonbinary youth from participating in school sports, to book bans, to criminalizing gender-affirming health care “are killing our youth. They are showing them that there is no hope for their future where they can be thriving trans adults.”
While state legislatures across the country are passing laws chipping away at access to gender-affirming care and transgender rights, Vermont lawmakers are offering a sharp contrast.
Two thousand, four hundred, thirty-four miles away from Helena, Zooey Zephyr’s battle hits close to home for Rep. Taylor Small, Vermont’s first and only transgender legislator.