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Outright Vermont is Vermont's only queer youth service organization.〔Prom night, Manchester, Vermont - May 11, 2010. WCAX: http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=12472477〕 Its mission is to build safe, healthy, and supportive environments for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.〔Outright Vermont website: http://outrightvt.org/wordpress/about-us/mission/〕 Queer Youth Space & Statewide Education Work Outright Vermont is one of the oldest queer youth organizations in the United States, founded in 1989. Since their start, they have hosted an adult-facilitated weekly queer (LGBTQ or lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer & questioning) youth group in Burlington, VT on Friday nights. They have also had outpost youth groups in Montpelier, Rutland, Brattleboro, and St. Albans.〔Outright VT website - programs & history: http://outrightvt.org/wordpress/〕 They also offer workshops and presentations on queer identity, anti-harassment training, and how to start Queer/Straight Alliance student clubs for Vermont schools. In 2011, they presented to nearly 4,000 students and educators across the state, in over 250 presentations. Homophobic Backlash Against Outright VT Programs In 1998, then Governor Howard Dean granted Department of Education funding for Outright's work with schools on anti-bullying trainings. Then, in 2000, Dean cut the DOE funding due to anti-Civil Unions backlash. The funding was not restored until 2012, by Governor Peter Shumlin and even this funding was at a fraction of the original grant.〔"Civil Union Wrong Righted" blog post from Outright VT website: http://outrightvt.org/wordpress/2012/06/civil-union-wrong-righted-vt-doe-restores-outright-vt-funding/〕 During the Vermont Civil Unions debates of 1999 & 2000, Outright Vermont became a target from external and internal Vermont anti-gay groups, including personal threats to the staff and vicious public accusations about the organizations work with young people. In 2000, the Civil Unions bill was signed into law in Vermont. In 2002, Barre City Elementary and Middle School school board voted to deny the posting of "safe zone" cards from Outright VT in the school. These cards designated a teacher or staff member as a "safe" person to talk to about coming out as LGBTQ. In 2006, Outright Vermont's scheduled presentations at Williston Central School were met with a small, but vocal anti-gay parent protest and large community meeting to discuss the content of the anti-harassment trainings. After overwhelming support for Outright VT's workshops, school officials kept the workshops as scheduled.〔VPR News: http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/74709/interview-kate-jerman-outright-vermont/〕 In 2007, Missquoi Valley Union high school, in Swanton, VT, had a similar community reaction to scheduled presentations and after a heated public school board meeting, the board agreed to keep the workshops as scheduled.〔NCSSE website: http://www.ncsse.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=1053〕 Vermont Legislative Work In 2004, Outright VT was instrumental in passing Vermont's first anti-bullying legislation.〔BullyPolice.org website: http://www.bullypolice.org/vt_law.html〕 In 2007, they led the effort in testifying before the Vermont legislature to pass one of the country's first gender identity bill, including "gender identity" as a protected category in all state law.〔GLAD Know Your Rights' Vermont Laws: http://www.glad.org/rights/vermont/c/anti-discrimination-law-in-vermont/〕 In 2012, Outright VT worked closely with the Vermont Human Rights Commission to advocate for the strengthening of the Vermont anti-harassment legislation.〔Common Good Vermont: http://blog.commongoodvt.org/2012/05/news-shumlin-visits-outrightvt-to-mark-passage-of-bullying-law/〕 Organizational Milestones & New Programs In 2005, Outright VT received a three-year $100,000 grant for statewide education work from the Queer Youth Fund, of the Liberty Hill Fund.〔Liberty Hill Foundation, Queer Youth Fund 2005-2006 Grantees, http://www.libertyhill.org/Page.aspx?pid=299.〕 In 2009 the group sponsored Gendertopia, a nine-week afterschool program to explore who gender and sexualities are represented in popular culture.〔State program helps students explore gender, WILSON RING The Associated Press - Published: June 8, 2009; http://www.timesargus.com/article/RH/20090608/NEWS04/906080366/1004/SPORTS〕 In 2009 they also started the first statewide effort to ensure every "middle and high schools offer genderless bathrooms" .〔Transgender teen wants genderless bathrooms, By WILSON RING The Associated Press - Published: August 29, 2009. http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090829/NEWS02/908290305/-1/RSS14〕 In 2011, Outright Vermont, in partnership with the YWCA, established Vermont's first queer youth summer camp, Camp Outright. In its first year, the camp drew 40 campers from around the U.S. and in its second year, double that many.〔Camp Outright website: http://campoutright.org〕 ==Notes== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Outright Vermont」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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